CLASSICS  OF  JMERICAN  LIBRARIANSHIP 


LIBRARY  AND  SCHOOL 


Classics    of    American    Librarianship 

Edited  by  ARTHUR  E.  BOSTWICK,  Ph.D. 


THE  RELATIONSHIP  BETWEEN 

THE  LIBRARY  AND  THE 

PUBLIC  SCHOOLS 


REPRINTS  OF  PAPERS  AND  ADDRESSES 


WITH  NOTES  BY 
ARTHUR  E.  BOSTWICK,  Ph.D. 


THE    H.    W.   WILSON   COMPANY 

WHITE  PLAINS.  N.  Y..  and  NEW  YORK  CITY 

1914 


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SCHOOL 


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PREFACE 

This  volume  is  the  first  of  a  projected  series  on  the 
Classics  of  American  Librarianship.  The  title  is  intended 
to  show  clearly  the  scope  and  purpose  of  the  work.  A 
classic  is  not  necessarily  up  to  date.  It  is  not  necessarily 
interesting  reading  at  the  present  day.  It  is  something 
that  has  marked  a  stage  of  progress;  that  has  affected 
and  altered  modes  of  thought  and  methods  of  work,  or 
has  reflected  in  some  way  such  alterations,  thereby  be- 
coming of  permanent  -value.  The  papers  gathered  in 
these  volumes  will  be  in  many  cases  out  of  date,  but  each, 
it  is  believed,  has  played  its  part,  eitlier  in  making  the 
modern  library  what  it  is  or  in  chronicluig  the  changes 
that  have  brought  it  about,  at  the  very  time  when  those 
changes  were  made. 

It  is  part  of  the  plan  of  the  w')rk  'o  give  the  exact 
words  of  the  various  writers  quoted.  Extraneous  mat- 
ter has  been  omitted  here  and  there,  but  such  omissions 
are  always  indicated  and  nothing  is  given  in  paraphrase 
or  abstract.  Brief  explanatory  m\tter  has  been  inserted 
where  it  appeared  to  be  necessary. 

Everything  here  reprinted  is  accessible  somewhere  to 
somebody,  but  there  is  a  good  reason  for  making  it  all 
accessible  in  one  collected  fomi  to  everybody.  The  class- 
ics of  our  profession  are  little  read,  for  the  reason  that 
they  are  scattered.  It  may  not  be  presumptuous  to  hope 
that  an  attempt,  however  inadequate,  to  collect  and  classi- 
fy them,  will  meet  the  approval  of  librarians. 


6 '  ';'     •  "-     PREFACE 

In  response  to  what  seems  to  be  a  general  demand,  this 
first  volume  of  the  series  has  been  devoted  to  the  relations 
'between  the  library  and  the  school.  Upon  the  reception 
accorded  to  it  will  depend  the  further  continuance  of  the 
enterprise. 

I  desire  to  acknowledge  the  kind  advice  and  assist- 
ance of  library-school  authorities,  and  in  particular  the 
aid  of  Miss  Effie  L.  Power,  Supervisor  of  Children's 
work  in  the  St.  Louis  Public  Library,  which  has  been  of 
great  value  in  the  selection  and  grouping  of  the  material. 

Arthur  E.  Bostwick. 


CONTENTS 


Preface 5 

Co-operation  between  Libraries  and  Schools :  an  Historical 

Sketch.     (Library  Journal,  1901,  p.  187.) 11 

Josephine  A.  Rathbone. 

The  Public  Library  and  the  Public  School.     (Library  Jour- 
nal, 1876,  p.  437.) 23 

Chas,  Francis  Adams,  Jr. 

The   School   and  the  Library:   their  Mutual   Relation.      (Li- 
brary Journal,  1879,  p.  319.) 33 

William  E.  Foster. 

The  Relation  of  the  Public  Library  to  the  Public  Schools. 

(Library  Journal,  1880,  p.  225.) .  .• 45 

Samuel   S.  Green. 

Libraries  as  Related  to  the  Educational  Work  of  the  State. 

(Library  Notes,  p.  333.) 63 

Melvil  Dewey. 

Use  of  the  Public  Library  in  the  Cleveland  Public  Schools. 

(JJbrary  Journal,  1892,  Conference  no.,  p.  3.) 85 

William  H.  Brett. 

The  Public  Library  and  the   Public  Schools.     (Educational 

Rez'ieiv,  Nov.,   1894.) 89 

George  W.  Peckham. 


8  CONTENTS 

The  Public  Library  and  the  Public  School.  (N.  Y.  State 
Teachers'  Assn.    Proceedings,  1895,  p.  23.) 95 

William   R.   Eastman. 

Report  on  Reading  for  the  Young.     (Library  Journal,  1894, 

Conference  no.,  p.  81.) 109 

LuTiE  E.   Stearns. 

The  Child,  the  School  and  the  Library.     (Library  Journal, 

1896,    p.    I34-) 125 

Linda  A.  Eastman. 

Function  of  the  School  in  Introducing  Children  to  the 
Proper  Use  of  Books.  (N.  E.  A.  Proceedings,  1899,  P- 
472:) 139 

Charles  A.  McMurry. 

The  Librarian's    Spirit   and   Method  in  Working  with   the 

Schools.     (N.  E.  A.  Proceedings,  1899,  p.  515.) 153 

John  Cotton  Dana. 


The  School  and  the  Library;  the  Value  of  Literature  in 
Early  Education.     (N.  E.  A.  Proceedings,  1901,  p.  108.)..     167 
Frederick  M.  Crunden. 


Public  Library  Books  in  Public  Schools.     (Library  Journal, 

1900,    p.    163.) 183 

Henry  L.  Elmendorf. 


The  School  Library  Question  in  New  York  City.     (Library 

Journal,  1905,  p.  211.) 191 

Mathilde  C.   Ford. 


Library  Visits  to  Public  Schools.      (Library  Journal,   TCp2, 

p.   181.)    2or 

Annie  Carroll   Moore. 


CONTENTS  9 

TIow  to  Make  the  Library  More  Serviceable  to  Students  of 
School  Age:  from  the  Library  Worker's  Viewpoint.     (N. 

E.  A.  Proceedings,  1908,  p.  1 104.) j^q 

Effje  L.  Power. 

Instruction    in    the    Use    of    Books    in    a    Normal    School. 

(Public  Libraries,  1898,  p.  151.) 269 

Irene  Warren. 

Vitalizing  the  Relation  between  the  Library  and  the  School. 

(Library  Journal,  1901,  p.  /8.) 275 

May   H.    Prentice. 

A  Library  Course  Given  to  City  Normal  School   Students. 

(Library  Journal,  1906,  p.  160.) 281 

Linda  M.  Clatworthy. 

How  Far  Should  Courses  in  Normal  Schools  and  Teachers' 
Colleges  Seek  to  Acquaint  all  Teachers  with  the  Ways  of 
Organizing  and  Using  School  Libraries?  (Library  Jour- 
nal,  1908,  p.  305.) 289 

David  Felmley. 

Methods  to  be  Used  by  Libraries  Working  with  Schools  to 
Encourage  the  Use  of  Real  Literature.  (A.  L.  A.  Pro- 
ceedings, 1907,  p.  289,) 299 

Mary  D.  McCurdy. 

The   Library  as  a  Reinforcement   of   the  School.     (Public 

Libraries,   1911,    p.    131.) 307 

Wm.  Dawson  Johnston. 

Some   Old  Forgotten    School   Libraries.      (Library  Journal, 

1904,   p.  175.) 315 

Elizabeth  G.  Baldwin. 

Index    325 


THE  RELATIONSHIP   BETWEEN   THE 
LIBRARY  AND  THE  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS 

CO-OPERATION   BETAVEEN   LII'.UARIES   AND 
SCHOOLS:  AN  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

The  necessity  for  an  introduction  to  this  subject  by 
the  Editor  is  in  large  part  obviated  by  the  existence  of  a 
historical  sketch  by  Josephine  Adams  Rathbone,  now  vice- 
director  of  the  Pratt  Institute  Library  school,  read  be- 
fore the  Long  Island  Library  Club  on  Eeb.  7,  1901.  This 
brings  the  history  of  the  subject  down  to  that  date,  mak- 
ing it  necessary  only  to  summarize,  at  the  close  of  the 
sketch,  the  events  of  the  thirteen  subsequent  years.  Miss 
Rathbone's  sketch  follows: 

The  year  1876  is  usually  taken  as  the  starting-point  of 
what  we  call  the  "modern  library  movement."  In  it  the 
Library  Journal  was  born,  the  American  Library  Asso- 
sociation  was  founded,  the  great  Government  report  on  li- 
braries issued,  and  in  that  year  we  find  recorded  the  first 
suggestion  of  the  good  to  be  derived  from  a  possible  co- 
operation between  libraries  and  schools.  The  discovery  of 
this  possibility  was  made  not  by  a  librarian  or  a  teacher,  but 
by  a  man  to  whose  wisdom  and  insight  the  country  owes 
much  besides,  Charles  Francis  Adams,  Jr.  In  an  address 
before  the  teachers  of  Quincy,  Mass.,  printed  in  the  Li- 
brary Journal,  vol.  i,  p.  437,  Mr.  Adams  says — calling 
attention  to  the  danger  of  teaching  children  how  to  read 
without  giving  them  at  the  same  time  a  love  for  good  read- 


12  JOSEPHINE  ADAMS  RATHBONE 

ing:  "I  do  not  know  that  what  I  am  about  to  suggest  has 
been  attempted  anywhere,  but  I  feel  great  confidence  that 
it  would  succeed.  Having  started  the  child  by  means  of 
what  we  call  a  common  school  course,  the  process  of  further 
self-education  is  to  begin.  The  great  means  is  through 
much  reading  of  books.  But  we  teach  children  to  read;  we 
do  not  teach  them  how  to  read.  That,  the  one  all-important 
thing,  the  great  connecting  link  between  education  and  self 
education,  between  means  and  end — that  one  link  we  make 
no  effort  to  supply.  As  long  as  we  do  not  make  an  effort 
to  supply  it,  our  school  system  in  its  result  is,  and  will  re- 
main miserably  deficient.  For  now,  be  it  remembered,  the 
child  of  the  poorest  man  in  Quincy  has  an  access  as  free  as 
the  son  of  a  millionaire  or  the  student  of  Harvard  College 
to  what  is,  for.  practical  general  use,  a  perfect  library.  Yet 
though  the  school  and  library  stand  on  our  main  street  side 
by  side,  there  is,  so  to  speak,  no  bridge  leading  from  the  one 
to  the  other." 

To  the  building  of  this  bridge  Mr.  Adams  contributed  in 
very  large  measure.  Until  1879  the  indexes  of  the  Library 
Journal  throw  no  light  on  the  subject,  though  doubtless 
work  was  done  and  thought  expended  upon  it.  At  the  con- 
ference of  the  American  Library  Association  in  Boston, 
1879,  the  reading  of  children  was  discussed  and  Mr.  Foster, 
of  Providence,  read  a  paper  on  "The  school  and  library,  their 
mutual  relations" — the  purpose  of  the  article  being  "to  cite 
some  of  the  reasons  why  co-operation  between  the  school 
and  library  is  desirable  and  necessary."  Effective  co-opera- 
tion, he  says,  presupposes  three  things:  mutual  understand- 
ing, mutual  acquaintance,  and  mutual  action. 

The  need  felt  by  the  teacher  was  voiced  at  this  same 
meeting  by  R.  C.  Metcalf,  Master  of  Wells  School,  Boston, 
in  an  article  on  "Reading  in  public  schools."  Having  indi- 
cated how  I  would  cultivate  the  taste  and  direct  the  choice 
of  the  pupil,  Mr.  Metcalf  says,  "It  only  remains  to  suggest 
how,  in  my  opinion,  the  public  library  can  be  made  a  great 
public  benefit,  rather  than  what  it  too  frequently  is,  a  great 
public  nuisance.  So  long  as  our  pupils  are  allowed  free  ac- 
cess to  a  public  library  without  direction  as  to  choice,  either 


CO-OPERATION  13 

by  parent,  teacher,  or  librarian,  we  can  look  for  no  good 
results."  Again,  complaining  of  the  distance  between  schools 
and  the  library,  and  the  lack  of  branch  libraries,  he  says: 
"Some  plan  must  be  devised  whereby  the  principal  or  teacher 
can  draw  from  the  library  such  books  as  his  pupils  may  need, 
and  deliver  them  at  his  desk  whenever  the  school  work  sug- 
gests their  use."  This  meeting,  at  which  for  the  first  time- 
librarians  and  teachers  were  brought  together  to  compare 
needs  and  opportunities,  had  doubtless  very  great  influence. 
The  first  record  which  gives  the  result  of  actual  experi-l 
ence  in  carrying  on  this  work  is  found  in  a  paper  read  by 
Mr.  S.  S.  Green,  librarian  of  the  Worcester  Public  Library,  at' 
a  meeting  of  the  American  Social  Science  Association  in 
1880.  Mr.  Green  tells  of  a  conference  between  the  superin- 
tendent of  the  public  schools,  a  member  of  the  school  com- 
mittee, who  was  also  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors  of 
the  public  library,  the  principal  of  the  normal  school,  and 
the  librarian  of  the  public  library,  in  the  fall  of  1879.  These 
gentlemen  decided  that  the  school  studies  could  be  made 
more  interesting  and  profitable  by  the  aid  of  the  library 
and  proceeded  to  consider  practical  means  by  which  this  re- 
sult could  be  accomplished.  Geography  was  selected  as  the 
first  subject  of  the  experiment;  the  teachers  of  the  /th,  8th, 
and  9th  grades  were  addressed  by  the  librarian  who  set  forth 
the  plan  and  asked  them  to  select  a  country  they  would  like 
to  have  illustrated  in  this  way.  A  meeting  was  then  held  in 
the  library  when  the  librarian  explained  to  the  teachers  of 
these  grades  the  use  that  could  be  made  of  a  group  of  books 
of  travel  in  connection  with  the  geography  of  the  country 
selected.  The  librarian  then  asked  them  to  keep  him  in- 
formed from  time  to  time  of  the  countries  to  be  studied, 
that  he  might  keep  books  on  hand  suitable  for  school  use. 
The  work  was  started  at  once;  the  library  issued  two  kinds 
of  cards,  one  for  the  benefit  of  the  teachers  themselves,  the 
other  to  be  used  by  the  teachers  for  the  benefit  of  the  schol- 
ars, six  books  (a  number  that  seems  to  have  been  adopted 
by  libraries  as  a  standard)  to  be  taken  out  on  the  former  and 
twelve  on  the  latter.  The  teachers  were  also  invited  to  bring 
their  classes  to  the  library  from  time  to  time,  for  the  pur- 


14  JOSEPHINE  ADAMS   RATHBONE 

pose  of  seeing  large  collections  of  books,  pictures  and  other 
objects  bearing  on  some  subject  they  were  studying.  This 
article  setting  forth  the  methods  actually  used  and  found 
successful,  stimulated  other  libraries  to  attempt  the  same 
kind  of  work.  By  1882  the  movement  was  under  headway;  / 
reports  appear  in  the  Library  Journal  from  Indianapolis,/ 
Middletown,  Ct.,  Chicago,  Buffalo,  Cincinnati;  in  1883,  Mil- 
waukee, and  Gloversville,  N.  Y.,  report  of  their  work. 
The  preparation  of  catalogs  of  children's  books,  visits  of 
teachers  and  classes  to  the  library  for  talks  about  books,  and 
the  issue  of  books  for  use  in  the  schoolroom  are  the  means 
of  co-operation  reported  on  at  this  time.  Mr.  Green  gives 
detailed  reports  in  the  Journal  both  for  1882  and  1883  of  the 
growth  of  the  work  in  Worcester.  Among  the  meth- 
ods used,  beside  those  spoken  of  in  this  article  of  1880,  is 
the  connection  formed  with  the  high  school.  Squads  of  ten 
boys  and  girls  who  were  studying  Greek  and  Roman  history 
were  sent  to  the  library  during  school  hours  to  look  at  the 
books,  pictures,  etc.,  illustrative  of  Greek  and  Roman  an- 
tiquities, the  scholars  being  required  to  write  descriptions 
of  the  objects  seen.  The  librarian  met  the  scholars  person- 
ally and  took  the  occasion  to  see  that  they  were  using  the 
books  properly,  showing  them  the  uses  of  indexes,  tables 
of  contents,  page  headings,  etc.  Bulletins  of  new  books  were 
sent  to  the  schools  and  a  copy  of  the  library  catalog  placed 
in  each  room. 

In  1885  a  report  was  made  to  the  American  Library  As- 
sociation on  the  work  with  schools  done  by  libraries  through- 
out the  country.  Reports  were  received  from  75  libraries, 
37  of  which  reported  that  official  connection  had  been  made 
with  the  schools,  special  privileges  being  granted  teachers 
and  pupils  and  direct  efforts  made  to  add  interest  to  the 
school  work.  Miss  Hannah  P.  James,  the  compiler,  sums 
up   the   possibilities   suggested   by  the   report: 

1.  That  the  librarian  should  confer  with  the  teachers  to 
convince  them  of  his  desire  and  ability  to  help  them, 

2.  That  teachers  should  be  allowed  to  take  any  suitable 
books  for  use  in  school  work. 


CO-OPERATION  15 

3.  That  teachers  be  supplied  with  ai)i)lications  to  dis- 
tribute to  pupils. 

4.  Teachers  should  be  induced  to  inform  the  librarian 
as  to  the  courses  of  study  to  he  pursued,  that  lists  of  use- 
ful and  interesting  books  be  made   for  use  of  school. 

5.  Such  lists  to  be  printed  and  distributed  or  posted  in 
school. 

6.  Lists  of  juvenile  books  arranged  in  attractive  general 
courses  to  be  posted  in  the  library  and  printed  in  the  papers. 

7.  Collections  of  wholesome  books  to  be  sent  to  class 
rooms. 

In  1887  Mr.  Green  reports  that  he  had  placed  in  four  of 
the  higher  grades  of  the  school  libraries  of  about  100  vol- 
umes. This  experiment  was  tried  in  Milwaukee  in  1888  with 
marked  success.  A  report  from  Cleveland  in  1891  records 
the  success  of  the  experiment  of  placing  small  libraries  of 
about  50  volumes  in  61  school-rooms.  The  books  were 
simply  charged  to  the  teacher,  one  of  the  library  assistants 
visiting  each  room  once  a  month  to  check  up  the  books.  The 
books  were  issued  to  the  pupils  for  home  reading.  The 
teachers  were  enthusiastic  over  the  value  of  the  experiment 
and  unanimous  in  their  desire  for  its  continuance. 

The  subject  was  given  a  prominent  place  at  the  meeting 
of  the  Library  Association  at  Chicago  in  1893.  It  is  gratify- 
ing to  note  the  growing  sentiment  in  favor  of  doing  aw^ay 
with  restrictions  and  allowing  the  teachers  as  many  books 
as  they  may  need. 

In  1894  Miss  Stearns,  then  of  the  Milwaukee  Public  Li 
brary,  made  a  report  before  the  A.  L.  A.  on  children's  reading 
that  has  had  far  reaching  results.  Questions  touching  all 
points  connected  with  children's  reading  were  sent  to  195 
libraries,  and  replies  received  from  145.  The  points  especially 
emphasized  were  the  advisability  of  abolishing  the  age  limit 
for  children,  the  limitations  on  the  number  of  books  loaned 
to  teachers,  and  desirability  of  circulating  pictures  as  well 
as  books  to  the  schools,  and — of  greatest  moment  to  librari- 
ans— the  subject  of  a  special  room  for  children  and  an  at- 
tendant who  should  have  the  supervision  over  their  reading. 
It  would  be  hard  to  overestimate  the  effect  of  this  suggestive, 


ing  ' 


i6  JOSEPHINE  ADAMS  RATHBONE 

stimulating  paper.  From  it  may  be  dated  the  general  estab- 
lishment of  children's  rooms,  of  a  course  for  the  training 
of  children's  librarians,  in  two  of  the  leading  library  schools, 
and  a  growing  interest  in  and  study  of  children's  books,  all 
of  which  has  done  much  towards  preparing  librarians  for 
the  more  intelligent  performance  of  their  share  of  the  co- 
operative work  with  the  schools. 

Turning  for  a  moment  to  the  other  side,  what  has  been 
done  by  the  schools  in  the  direction  of  promoting  closer  re- 
lations with  libraries?  Looking  through  the  volumes  of  Ed- 
ucation, I  find  up  to  1889  only  one  mention  of  the  subject, 
and  that  a  casual  reference,  in  an  article  on  the  Quincy 
methods,  to  the  assistance  rendered  by  the  library  in  mak- 
ing out  a  list  of  books  for  the  schools. 

In  1889,  a  school  superintendent  suggested,  in  an  article 
on  the  teaching  of  literature,  that  the  teachers  take  their 
classes  to  the  library  periodically  and  that  they  borrow  books 
from  the  library  for  use  in  the  class-rooms.  In  the  same 
volume,  however,  is  an  extract  from  an  article  by  Mr.  Melvil 
Dewey  in  Library  Notes  for  June,  1888,  on  "Libraries  as  re- 
lated to  the  educational  work  of  the  state,"  which  was  ac- 
companied by  the  editorial  suggestion  that  the  article  would 
repay  reading  by  any  thoughtful  reader. 

In  1880  Mr.  Charles  Francis  Adams  read  a  paper  before 
the  National  Education  Association  on  "School  superinten- 
dency,"  in  which — speaking  of  the  Quincy  schools — he  says: 
"We  try  now  to  treat  the  child  throughout  as  a  moral,  rea- 
soning being,  and  not  as  an  automaton,  and  so  we  begin 
with  Froebel's  method  and  end  with  the  public  library.  They 
are  both  factors  in  our  Quincy  common  schools  now,  only 
the  library  is  far  the  more  important  factor  of  the  two." 

The  first  paper  distinctly  on  the  subject  of  the  library 
and  the  school  was  presented  before  the  association  in  1887 
by  Mr.  Thomas  J.  Morgan,  principal  of  the  state  normal 
school  of  Providence,  R.  I.  It  dealt  chiefly  with  the  neces- 
sity of  teaching  the  pupil  how  to  use  books,  indexes,  refer- 
ences, etc.,  noting  in  passing  that  in  Providence,  Worcester, 
and  other  cities,  sets  of  books  can  be  taken  from  the  public 
library,  for  school  use. 


CO-OPERATION  17 

In  1888  it  is  noted  in  an  article  on  directing  pupil's  read- 
ing, that  "the  school  or  city  library,  be  it  large  or  small,  if 
rightly  used  will  prove  an  incalculable  benefit."  Talks  about 
books  by  competent  guides  and  carefully  prepared  lists  are 
mentioned  as  among  the  possible  means  by  which  benefit  may 
be  derived. 

The  first  complete  presentation  of  the  subject  before 
the  association  was  in  1892  when  Mr.  Brett,  librarian  of  the 
Cleveland  Public  Library,  read  a  paper  on  "The  relations 
of  the  public  library  to  the  public  schools."  After  a  brief 
historic  summary  and  description  of  work  done  in  Worcester, 
Milwaukee,  and  other  libraries,  he  gives  in  detail  the  work 
of  his  own  library,  which  work  had  its  beginning  in  a  re- 
mark made  by  one  of  the  supervising  principals  on  the 
marked  superiority  in  general  information,  shown  by  the 
pupils  of  a  school  situated  near  the  library  over  those  of 
another  far  away,  which  she  felt  could  be  accounted  for  only 
by  the  fact  of  their  use  of  the  library.  This  led  to  the  send- 
ing of  a  few  books  to  some  of  the  more  distant  schools,  in 
order  to  place  books  in  the  hands  of  children  who  could  not 
reach  the  library,  but  the  plan  was  so  successful,  and  de- 
veloped so  many  unexpected  advantages  that  Mr.  Brett  de- 
clared himself  in  favor  of  using  this  method  of  placing  books 
in  the  hands  of  pupils  even  if  the  school-house  stood  next 
door   to   the   library. 

In  the  Educational  Journal  for  November  1894,  appeared 
an  article  by  Dr.  Peckham  on  the  work  with  schools  done 
by  the  Milwaukee  Library.  This  attracted  great  attention 
in  the  school  world  and  did  as  much  perhaps  as  any  one 
thing  to  awaken  an  interest  in  the  subject  on  the  part  of 
teachers  throughout  the  country.  The  library  received  scores 
of   letters   asking   for   particulars   about   the   work. 

In  1896  an  important  step  was  taken  by  the  National 
Educational  Association.  A  petition  requesting  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  Library  Department  was  presented  by  Melvil 
Dewey  and  was  unanimously  adopted.  It  was  stated  that 
its  field  "should  cover  fully  school  and  pedagogic  libraries 
but  that  its  great  work  should  be  the  practical  recognition 
that   education    is    no   longer   for   youth,   and    for   a   limited 


i8  JOSEPHINE  ADAMS  RATHBONE 

course  in  a  school,  but  that  it  is  really  a  matter  for  adults  a; 
well  as  youth,  for  life  not  for  the  course,  to  be  carried  on  a 
home  as  well  as  in  the  school.  .  .  .  This  means  that  edu 
cation  must  be  carried  on  by  means  of  reading  and  that,  i 
the  libraries  are  to  furnish  the  books  and  give  all  necessary 
help  in  their  proper  field,  the  schools  must  furnish  the  read 
ers." 

The  American  Library  Association  in  the  same  year  ap 
pointed  a  committee  to  co-operate  with  the  Library  Depart 
ment  of  the  Educational  Association. 

In  1897  a  committee  of  teachers  and  librarians  wa; 
formed  to  report  on  the  relations  of  public  libraries  to  th( 
public  schools,  to  indicate  methods  of  co-operation  by  whicl 
the  usefulness  of  both  may  be  increased.  In  1898  the  com 
mittee  made  a  preliminary  report.  The  practical  nature  o 
its  work  may  be  shown  by  the  lists  of  subjects  reported  fo 
investigation: 

To  make  a  careful  examination  of  the  relations  now  ex 
isting. 

To  pursue  this  examination  in  such  a  way,  through  cir 
culars  and  through  the  columns  of  the  educational  and  librar: 
papers,  as  to  inform  the  greatest  number  of  people  of  wha 
is  now  being  done. 

To  examine  with  care  such   questions  as: 

How  to  induce  librarians  to  acquaint  themselves  witl 
the  needs  of  the  school-room  and  teachers  to  make  them 
selves  familiar  with  the  possibilities  of  public  libraries. 

How  to  encourage  normal  schools  to  give  more  instruc 
tion  in  the  use  of  books  and  libraries. 

How  to  induce  high  schools,  colleges,  and  universities  t( 
establish   "schools  of  the  book." 

How  to  promote  the  introduction  of  school-room  li 
braries. 

How  to  induce  more  public  libraries  to  open  special  de 
partments  for  children  and  teachers. 

How  to  increase  the  interest  of  parents  in  the  readiuj 
of   their   children. 


CO-OPERATION  19 

How  to  make  more  accessible  for  parents  and  teachers 
select  and  annotated  lists  of  books  for  the  young  and  how 
to  promote  their  use. 

How  to  promote  close  relations  throuj^^h  mcetinj^s  and 
otherwise   between    teachers,   parents,   and   librarians. 

How  to  arrive  at  conclusions  of  value  in  regard  to  the 
treatment  of  young  people,  as  far  as  reading  is  concerned, 
during  the  adolescent  period. 

How  to  convey  to  school  boards  and  teachers  in  remote 
districts  a  sense  of  their  needs  in  the  way  of  good  books  well 
used,  and  information  as  to  how  such  books  can  best  be 
secured. 

The  Committee  made  a  thorough  investigation  of  the  sit- 
uation along  these  lines  and  a  full  report  was  presented  at 
the  annual  meeting  of  the  National  Educational  Association 
in  1899.  This  report  which  is  published  by  the  association 
in  pamphlet  form  touches  upon  every  aspect  of  co-operative 
work,  includes  graded  lists  for  supplemental  reading  and 
school  use,  analyzes  the  work  now  being  done  in  various 
centers,  and  contains  much  practical  advice  both  for  librarian 
and  teacher. 

Thus  these  two  great  factors  of  our  educational  system 
have  been  brought  together  and  the  bridge  suggested  by 
Mr.  Adams  25  years  ago  has  been  made  fast  to  its  moorings 
on  either  side.  To  the  librarian's  knowledge  of  the  book  is 
joined  the  teacher's  knowledge  of  the  child  and  from  this 
combination  there  must  result  a  power  working  for  good, 
the  force  of  which  cannot  be  estimated. 

We  will  consider  briefly  one  or  two  concrete  examples 
of  work  as  carried  on  to-day.  One  of  the  most  important 
evidences  of  co-operation  is  the  recent  publication  by  the 
Carnegie  Library  of  Pittsburgh  of  a  "Graded  and  annotated 
catalog  of  books  in  the  Carnegie  Library  of  Pittsburgh  for 
the  use  of  the  city  schools."  In  1899  the  librarian,  Mr.  Ander- 
son, addressed  the  school  principals  to  urge  a  more  system- 
atic organization  of  the  work  of  the  library  with  the  schools. 
A  committee  was  appointed  to  co-operate  with  the  librarian 
and  his  assistants  in  the  selection  of  a  list  of  books  suited 
to    the    different   grades    supplemental    to    the    ordinary    text- 


20  ,    JOSEPHINE  ADAMS  RATHBONE 

books.  The  following  subjects  were  selected:  Nature,  Ge- 
ography, History,  Language,  General  literature,  Art,  Kinder- 
garten, Pedagogy,  and  High  school  reading.  A  sub-commit- 
tee was  formed  to  cover  each  subject.  The  list  is  divided 
into  grades  and  by  subject  under  each  grade.  Each  entry 
is  annotated  and  repeated  in  full  under  each  grade  to  which 
it  is  assigned,  and  the  work  concludes  with  an  author  and 
title  index,  the  grade  or  grades  being  indicated  by  figures. 
This  catalog  will  be  of  use  not  only  to  the  teachers  of  Pitts- 
burgh, but  to  the  librarians  and  teachers  the  country  over. 
Prefacing  the  list  is  a  letter  from  the  Superintendent  of 
Public  Instruction,  Samuel  Andrews,  -saying,  in  part:  "The 
accompanying  catalog  is,  in  my  opinion  a  most  important 
school  document.  So  far  as  I  know,  it  is  something  unique. 
It  is  gratifying  to  me,  first,  as  indicating  the  harmony  exist- 
ing between  the  library  authorities  and  the  school  principals 
in  their  mutual  efforts  for  the  education  of  the  people;  sec- 
ond, by  reason  of  the  evidence,  manifest  on  every  page,  of 
the  conscientious  censorship  exercised  in  its  preparation.  I 
feel  confident  that  it  will  be  a  means  of  vitalizing  the  entire 
work  of  the  schools,  of  awakening  among  the  pupils  that 
enthusiasm  for  good  reading  which  is  the  highest  guarantee 
of  true   culture,   good   habits,   and   genuine   character." 

In  Buffalo  the  work  of  sending  libraries  and  pictures 
to  the  schools  has  been  carried  on  for  about  three  years. 
The  librarian  gives  as  his  experience  that  the  most  difficult 
problem  is  fitting  the  books  to  the  proper  grades  in  the 
schools.  Each  school,  each  class,  must  be  studied  with  the 
teacher's  help  before  intelligent  assignment  of  books  can  be 
made.  For  example,  children  in  the  poorer  districts  and 
children  of  foreign-born  parents  need  much  simpler  books 
than  children  in  corresponding  grades  with  different  home 
surroundings. 

A  quotation  from  the  annual  report  of  the  assistant  in 
charge  of  the  work  at  the  Buffalo  library,  will  give  a  better 
idea  than  any  description  could  of  some  results  of  this 
effort: 

"From  the  principals  who  arc  all  interested  and,  I  believe, 
all  in  hearty  sympathy  with  the  movement,  from  the  teach- 


CO-OPERATION  21 

ers  and,  better  still,  from  the  children  themselves,  we  have 
received  many  assurances  that  they  arc  not  only  satisfied 
with  the  service,  but  that  the  results  are  going  to  be  all  that 
we  expect,  and  more.  The  principal  of  an  east-side  school, 
where  fully  75  per  cent  of  the  parents  are  foreign  born,  has 
stated  tliat  beyond  any  doubt  the  moral  tone  of  his  districts 
has  been  marvclously  changed  for  the  better  in  the  last 
three   years." 

The  school  circulation  alone,  in  Buffalo  last  year  was 
IQ4.045  volumes,  and  of  this,  the  librarian,  Mr.  Elmendorf, 
writes:  "It  is  the  best  work  the  library  is  doing,  and  the 
federation,  not  the  union,  of  the  public  school  and  the  public 
library  seems  the  most  important  step  in  modern  demo- 
cratic education." 

A  still  further  step  has  been  taken  b}'  the  Webster  Free 
Library,  connected  with  the  East  Side  House,  of  New  York, 
in  the  direction  of  supplying  the  schools  with  illustrative  ma- 
terial to  intensify  the  interest  in  school  work;  collections  of 
specimens,  geological,  zoological,  to  illustrate  nature  work, 
anatomical  models,  historical  relics,  and  collections  of  ob- 
jects intended  to  make  real  to  the  children  the  life,  man- 
ners and  customs  of  the  countries  about  which  they  are 
studying.  Of  this  work,  one  teacher  wrote  recently:  "The 
girls  told  me  last  term,  that  until  they  had  seen  your  Mex- 
ican exhibit  they  had  an  idea  that  Mexico  was  a  wilderness; 
and  South  America! — well,  it  was  a  land  of  savages  and  wild 
beasts." 

This  work  suggests  that  the  next  advance  in  educational 
expansion  must  be  in  the  direction  of  co-operation  with  the 
museum.  If  to  the  library,  and  the  school,  which,  working 
together,  shall  awaken  and  feed  a  love  of  reading,  is  added 
the  museum  with  its  power  to  vivify  and  make  real  that 
which  is  read,  the  result  shall  be  an  education  that  shall  en- 
rich, widen,  and  uplift  the  life  of  succeeding  generations. 

Just  after  the  period  with  which  the  ahove  sketch  ends 
came  the  establishment  of  a  special  department  of  work 
with  schools  in  the  New  York  Public  Library.  In 
more  recent  years,  cooperation  between  library  and  school 


22  JOSEPHINE  ADAMS  RATHBONE 

in  their  common  educational  work  has  become  more  or 
less  standardized.  Discussion  has  proceeded  on  the  lines 
of  libraries  in  and  for  the  schools  themselves,  the  serv- 
ice of  schoolhouses  as  public  deposit  or  delivery  stations 
for  libraries,  and  the  giving  of  instruction  in  schools 
regarding  the  intelligent  use  of  library  facihties  by 
teachers  and  scholars. 

Beginning  now  with  Mr.  Adams'  address,  in  1876, 
papers  illustrating  the  progress  outlined  above  will  be 
given,  mostly  in  chronological  order. 


THE  PUBLIC  LIBRARY  AND  THE  PUBLIC 
SCHOOLS 

Charles  Erancis  Adams,  author  of  this  article,  well 
known  as  a  pnhlicist.  is  the  son  oi  the  Charles 
F'rancis  Adams  who  so  well  rej^resented  his  coun- 
try at  the  Court  of  St.  James  during-  the  Civil 
War.  He  is  a  grandson  of  President  John  Ouincy 
Adams  and  great-grandson  of  President  John  Adams. 
He  was  horn  in  Boston  in  1835,  graduated  at 
Harvard  in  1856  (LL.  D.,  1895)  and  after  serving  in 
the  Civil  War,  became  identified  with  railroad  interests. 
At  the  time  this  address  was  delivered,  he  was  Chaimian 
of  the  Massachusetts  Board  of  Railway  Commissioners. 
The  address,  as  ]:)rinted,  is  an  abstract  prepared  for  The 
Library  Journal  (Aug.  31,  1877). 

We  had  intended  long-  before  this  to  give  our  readers 
a  summary  of  the  valuable  address  delivered  some  months 
since  before  the  teachers  of  Quincy,  Mass.,  by  Charles 
Francis  Adams,  Jr.,  trustee  of  the  Quincy  Public  Library, 
and  author  of  the  admirable  notes  in  its  catalogue,  "On  the 
use  v^^hich  could  be  made  of  the  Public  Library  of  the  town 
in  connection  with  the  school  system  in  general,  and  more 
particularly  with  the  high  and  upper  grade  grammar  schools." 
The  paper  is  permanently  so  useful  that  we  need  only  plead 
"better  late  than  never"  in  giving  it  to  our  readers  now.  It 
is  presented  as  condensed  by  Mr.  C.  A.  Cutter,  who  writes: 
"This  is  the  fullest  discussion  yet  published  of  a  question  of 
great  importance  to  our  town  libraries,  one  that  is  only  just 


24  ^  CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  Jr. 

beginning  to  attract  the  attention  it  deserves.  Moreover,  it 
will  be  found  that  much  of  v^hat  Mr.  Adams  says  of  the 
value  of  the  teacher's  influence  upon  individual  scholars, 
and  of  the  satisfaction  and  encouragement  which  comes  from 
it,  is  true,  with  very  slight  changes,  of  the  librarian.  The 
latter  must  continue  what  the  teacher  has  begun;  he  must 
make  a  beginning,  if  he  can,  where  the  teacher  has  failed, 
and  for  those  with  whom  the  teacher  has  not  come  in  con- 
tact; like  the  teacher,  he  must  add  this  to  duties  already 
engrossing;  like  him,  he  must  make  a  constant  series  of  ex- 
periments; and  again,  like  him,  he  must  be — and  no  doubt 
he  will  be — content,  if  in  one  case  in  a  hundred  he  produces 
any  visible  result.  He  needs  some  interest  and  eflfort  like 
this,  or  else  his  work,  however  well  done,  is  only  the  work 
of  a  clerk  or  of  a  bookworm." 

The  one  best  possible  result  of  a  common-school  edu- 
cation, says  Mr.  Adams,  its  great  end  and  aim,  should  be  to 
prepare  the  children  of  the  community  for  the  far  greater 
work  of  educating  themselves.  Now  in  education,  as  in 
almost  everything  else,  there  is  an  almost  irresistible  ten- 
dency to  mistake  the  means  for  the  end.  In  the  schools  of 
this  town,  four  years  ago,  arithmetic,  grammar,  spelling, 
geography,  were  taught  as  if  to  be  able  to  answer  the  ques- 
tions in  the  textbooks  was  the  great  end  of  all  education.  It 
was  instruction  through  a  perpetual  system  of  conundrums. 
The  child  was  made  to  learn  some  queer  definition  in  words, 
or  some  disagreeable  puzzle  in  figures,  as  if  it  were  in  itself 
an  acquisition  of  value — something  to  be  kept  and  hoarded 
like  silver  dollars,  as  being  a  handy  thing  to  have  in  the 
house.  The  result  was  that  the  scholars  acquired  with  im- 
mense difificulty  something  which  they  forgot  with  equal  ease; 
and  when  they  left  our  grammar  schools  they  had  what  peo- 
ple are  pleased  to  call  the  rudiments  of  education,  and  yet 
not  one  in  twenty  of  them  could  sit  down  and  write  an  ordi- 
nary letter,  in  a  legible  hand,  with  ideas  clearly  expressed, 
in  words  correctly  spelled;  and  the  proportion  of  those  who 
left  school  with  either  the  ability  or  desire  to  further  educate 
themselves  was  scarcely  greater.  Scarcely  one  out  of  twenty 
of  those  who  leave  our  schools  ever  further  educate   them- 


LIBRARY  AND  SCHOOLS  25 

selves  in  any  great  degree,  outside,  of  course,  of  any  special 
trade  or  calling  through  which  they  earn  a  living.  The  rea- 
son of  this  is  obvious  enough;  and  it  is  not  the  fault  of  the 
scholar.  It  is  the  fault  of  a  system  which  brings  a  community 
up  in  the  idea  that  a  poor  knowledge  of  the  rudiments  of 
reading,  writing,  and  arithmetic  constitutes  in  itself  an  edu- 
cation. Now  on  the  contrary,  the  true  object  of  all  your 
labors  is  something  more  than  to  teach  children  to  read;  it 
should,  if  it  is  to  accomplish  its  full  mission,  also  impart  t"> 
them  a  love  of  reading. 

A  man  or  woman  whom  a  whole  childhood  spent  in  the 
common  schools  has  made  able  to  stumble  through  a  news- 
paper, or  labor  through  a  few  trashy  books,  is  scarcely  bet- 
ter off  than  one  who  cannot  read  at  all.  Indeed  I  doubt  if  he 
or  she  is  as  well  off,  for  it  has  long  been  observed  that  a  very 
small  degree  of  book  knowledge  almost  universally  takes  a 
depraved  shape.  The  animal  will  come  out.  The  man  who 
can  barely  spell  out  his  newspaper  confines  his  labor  in  nine 
cases  out  of  ten  to  those  highly  seasoned  portions  of  it 
which  relate  to  acts  of  violence,  and  especially  to  murders.  A 
little  learning  is  proverbially  a  dangerous  thing;  and  the  less 
the  learning  the  greater  the  danger. 

I  do  not  know  that  what  I  am  about  to  suggest  has  ever 
been  attempted  anywhere,  but  I  feel  great  confidence  that  it 
would  succeed.  Having  started  the  child  by  means  of  what 
we  call  a  common-school  course,  the  process  of  further  self- 
education  is  to  begin.  The  great  means  is  through  books, 
through  much  reading  of  books.  But  we  teach  children  to 
read;  we  do  not  teach  them  how  to  read.  That,  the  one 
all-important  thing — the  great  connecting  link  between  school 
education  and  self-education,  between  means  and  end — that 
one  link  we  make  no  effort  to  supply.  As  long  as  we  do  not 
make  an  effort  to  supply  it,  our  school  system  in  its  result 
is  and  will  remain  miserably  deficient.  For  now.  be  it  re- 
membered, the  child  of  the  poorest  man  in  Quincy,  the  oft'- 
spring  of  our  paupers  even,  has  an  access  as  free  as  the  son 
of  a  millionaire,  or  the  student  of  Harvard  College,  to  what 
is,  for  practical  general  use,  a  perfect  library.  The  old  days 
of  intellectual   famine   for   the   masses   are   over,   and   plenty 


26        CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  Jr. 

reigns.  Yet,  though  the  school  and  the  library  stand  on  our 
main  street  side  by  side,  there  is,  so  to  speak,  no  bridge  lead- 
ing from  the  one  to  the  other.  So  far  as  I  can  judge,  we 
teach  our  children  the  mechanical  part  of  reading,  and  then 
we  turn  them  loose  to  take  their  chances.  If  the  child  has 
naturally  an  inquiring  or  imaginative  mind,  it  perchance  may 
work  its  way  unaided  through  the  traps  and  pitfalls  of  litera- 
ture; but  the  chances  seem  to  me  to  be  terribly  against  it. 
It  is  so  easy,  and  so  very  pleasant  too,  to  read  only  books 
which  lead  to  nothing,  light  and  interesting  and  exciting 
books,  and  the  more  exciting  the  better,  that  it  is  almost  as 
difficult  to  wean  oneself  from  it  as  from  the  habit  of  chewing 
tobacco  to  excess,  or  of  smoking  the  whole  time,  or  of  de- 
pending for  stimulus  on  tea  or  coffee  or  spirits.  Yet  here, 
to  the  threshold  of  this  vast  field — you  might  even  call  it  this 
wilderness — of  general  literature,  full  as  it  is  of  holes  and 
bogs,  and  pitfalls,  all  covered  over  with  poisonous  plants — 
here  it  is  that  our  common-school  system  brings  our  children, 
and,  having  brought  them  there,  it  leaves  them  to  go  on  or 
not,  just  as  it  may  happen. 

This  is  all  wrong.  Our  educational  system  stops  just 
where  its  assistance  might  be  made  invaluable.  The  one 
thing  which  makes  the  true  teacher  and  which  distinguishes 
him  from  the  mechanical  pedagogue  (which  any  man  may 
become)  is  the  faculty  of  interesting  himself  in  the  single 
pupil — seeing,  watching,  aiding  the  development  of  the  in- 
dividual mind.  I  never  tried  it,  but  I  know  just  what  it  must 
be  from  my  own  experience  in  other  matters.  I  have  a  place 
here  in  town,  for  instance,  upon  which  I  live;  and  there  I  not 
only  grow  fields  of  corn  and  carrots,  but  also  a  great  many 
trees.  Now,  my  fields  of  corn  or  carrots  are  to  me  what  a 
mechanical  pedagogue's  school  is  to  him.  I  like  to  see  them 
well  ordered  and  planted  in  even  rows,  all  growing  exactly 
alike,  and  producing  for  each  crop  so  many  bushels  of  corn 
or  carrots  to  the  acre,  one  carrot  being  pretty  near  the  same 
as  another;  and  then,  when  the  autumn  comes  and  the  farm- 
ing term  closes,  I  prepare  my  land,  as  the  pedagogue  does 
his  school-room,  for  the  next  crop;  and  the  last  is  over  and 
gone.     It  is  not  so,  however,  with  my  trees.     They  are  to  me 


LIBRARY   AND   SCHOOLS  27 

just  what  his  pupils  are  to  the  born  school-master;  in  each 
one  I  take  an  individual  interest.  I  watch  them  year  after 
3car,  and  see  them  p:row  and  slioot  out  and  dcvckip.  So 
your  schools  ought  to  be  to  you,  not  mere  fields  in  which  you 
turn  out  regular  crops  of  human  cabbages  and  potatoes,  but 
plantations  also  in  which  you  raise  a  few  trees,  at  least,  in 
the  individual  growth  of  which  you  take  a  master's  interest. 
This  feeling  and  this  only  it  is  which  can  make  a  teacher's 
life  ennobling — the  finding  out  among  his  pupils  those  who 
have  in  them  the  material  of  superior  men  and  women,  and 
then  nurturing  them  and  aiding  in  their  development,  and 
making  of  them  something  which,  but  for  their  teacher,  they 
never  would  have  been.  These  pupils  are  to  their  teacher 
what  my  oak-trees  are  to  me;  but  for  me  those  trees  would 
have  died  in  the  acorn,  probably — at  most  they  would  have 
been  mere  scrub  bushes;  but  now,  through  me,  wholly  owing 
to  my  intervention  and  care,  they  are  growing  and  develop- 
ing, and  there  are  among  them  those,  which  some  day,  a 
hundred  years  perhaps,  after  my  children  are  all  dead  of  old 
age,  will  be  noble  oaks.  Then  no  one  will  know  that  I  ever 
lived,  much  less  trouble  themselves  to  think  that  to  me  those 
trees  owed  their  lives;  yet  it  is  so,  none  the  less,  and  those 
are  my  trees,  no  matter  how  much  I  am  dead  and  forgotten. 
So  of  your  scholars.  If  you,  during  your  lives  as  teachers, 
can,  among  all  your  mass  of  pupils,  find  out  and  develop 
through  your  own  personal  contact  only  a  few,  say  half  a 
dozen,  remarkable  men  and  women,  who  but  for  you  and  your 
observation  and  watchfulness  and  guidance  would  have  lived 
and  died  not  knowing  what  they  could  do,  then,  if  you  do 
nothing  more  than  this,  you  have  done  an  immense  work  in 
life. 

This  dealing  with  the  individual  and  not  with  the  class 
is,  therefore,  the  one  great  pleasure  of  the  true  school-teach- 
er's life.  It  can  only  be  done  in  one  way — 3^ou  have  to  afTord 
the  individual  mind  the  nutriment  it  wants,  and  at  the  same 
time,  gently  direct  it  in  the  way  it  should  go.  In  other 
words,  if  the  teacher  is  going  to  give  himself  the  intense 
enjoyment  and  pleasure  of  doing  his  work,  he  cannot  stop 
at  the  border  of  that  wilderness  of  literature  of  which  I  was 


28  CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  Jr. 

just  now  speaking,  but  he  has  got  to  take  the  pupil  by  the 
hand  and  enter  into  it  with  him;  he  must  be  more  than  his 
pedagogue,  he  must  be  his  guide,  philosopher,  and  friend. 
And  so  the  teacher,  with  the  scholar's  hand  in  his,  comes  at 
last  to  the  doors  of  the  Public  Library, 

When  he  gets  there,  however,  he  will  probably  find  him- 
self almost  as  much  in  need  of  an  instructor  as  his  own 
pupils;  and  here  at  last  I  come  to  the  immediate  subject  on 
which  I  want  to  talk  to  you.  I  wish  to  say  something  of 
the  books  and  reading  of  children,  of  the  general  introduc- 
tion into  literature  which,  if  you  choose,  you  are  able  to  give 
your  scholars,  and  which  if  you  give  it  them,  is  worth  more 
than  all  the  knowledge  contained  in  all  the  text-books  that 
ever  were  printed.  To  your  whole  schools,  if  you  only  want 
to,  you  can  give  an  elementary  training  as  readers,  and  if, 
in  this  matter,  you  once  set  them  going  in  the  way  they 
should  go,  you  need  not  fear  that  they  will  ever  depart 
from  it. 

Now,  in  the  first  place,  let  me  suppose  that  you  want 
to  start  your  schools  in  general  on  certain  courses  of  read- 
ing,— courses  which  would  interest  and  improve  you,  prob- 
ably, hardly  less  than  your  scholars, — how  would  you  go 
about  it?  Through  individual  scholars,  of  course.  You 
would  run  your  eye  down  your  rows  of  desks  and  pick  out 
the  occupants  of  two  or  three,  and  with  them  you  would 
start  the  flock.  Human  beings  are  always  and  everywhere 
like  sheep,  in  that  they  will  go  where  the  bell-wether  leads. 
Picking  out  the  two  or  three,  then,  you  turn  to  the  shelves 
of  the  library.  And  now  you  yourselves  are  to  be  put  to  the 
test.  You  have  dared  to  leave  the  safe,  narrow  rut  in  which 
the  pedagogue  travels,  and  you  have  ventured  into  the  fields 
with  your  pupils  behind  you — do  you  know  the  way  here? — 
can  you  distinguish  the  firm  ground  from  the  boggy  mire? — 
the  good,  sound  wood  from  the  worthless  parasite? 

In  trying  to  inoculate  children  with  a  healthy  love  of 
good  reading,  the  first  thing  to  be  borne  in  mind  is  that  they 
are  not  grown  people.  There  are  few  things  more  melan- 
choly than  to  reflect  on  the  amount  of  useless  labor  which 
good  honest  conscientious  men  and  women  have  incurred, 


LIBRARY  AND  SCHOOLS  2q 

and  the  amount  of  real  suffering  tliey  have  inflicted  on  poor 
little  children,  through  the  disregard  of  this  one  obvious  fact. 
When  I  was  young,  my  father,  from  a  conscientious  feeling, 
I  suppose,  that  he  ought  to  do  something  positive  for  my 
mental  and  moral  good  and  general  aesthetic  cultivation, 
made  me  learn  Pope's  Messiah  by  heart,  and  a  number  of 
other  master-pieces  of  the  same  character.  He  might  just 
as  well  have  tried  to  feed  a  sucking  baby  on  roast  beef  and 
Scotch  ale!  Without  understanding  a  word  of  it,  I  learned 
the  Messiah  by  rote,  and  I  have  hated  it.  and  its  author  too, 
from  that  day  to  this,  and  I  hate  them  now.  So.  also,  I 
remember  well,  when  I  was  a  boy  from  ten  to  fourteen — for 
I  was  a  considerable  devourer  of  books — being  incited  to 
read  Hume's  History  of  England,  and  Robertson's  Charles 
v.,  and  Gibbon's  Rome  even,  and  I  am  not  sure  I  might  not 
add  Mitford's  Greece.  I  cannot  now  say  it  was  time  thrown 
away;  but  it  was  almost  that.  The  first  thing,  in  trying  to 
stimulate  a  love  of  reading,  is  to  be  careful  not  to  create 
disgust  by  trying  to  do  too  much.  The  great  masterpieces  of 
human  research  and  eloquence  and  fancy  are  to  boj's  pure 
nuisances.  They  can't  understand  them;  they  can't  appre- 
ciate them,  if  tjiey  do.  When  they  have  grown  up  to  them 
and  are  ready  for  them,  they  will  come  to  them  of  their 
own  accord.  Meanwhile,  you  can't  well  begin  too  low  down. 
Not  that  I  for  a  moment  pretend  that  I  could  now  sug- 
gest a  successful  course  of  grammar-school  literature  myself. 
The  intellectual  nutriment  which  children  like  those  you 
have  in  charge  are  fitted  to  digest  and  assimilate  must  be 
found  out  through  a  long  course  of  observation  and  experi- 
ment. I  think  I  could  tell  you  what  a  boy  in  the  upper  classes 
of  the  Academy  would  probably  like;  but  if  I  were  to  under- 
take to  lay  out  courses  of  reading  for  the  scholars  of  our 
grammar  schools,  it  would  certainly  soon  become  very  clear 
that  I  did  not  know  what  I  was  talking  about.  I  am  very 
sure  I  would  not  give  them  the  books  they  now  read,  but 
I  am  scarcely  less  sure  they  would  not  read  the  books  I 
would  give  them.  Nothing  but  actual  trial,  and  a  prolonged 
trial  at  that,  will  bring  us  any  results  worth  having  in  this 
respect;  and  that  trial  is  only  possible  through  you. 


30  -^      CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  Jr. 

But,  in  a  very  general  way,  let  us  suppose  that  we  are 
beginning  on  the  new  system,  and  that  your  school  is  study- 
ing history  and  geography — we  will  take  these  two  branches 
and  see  what  we  could  do  in  connection  with  them  to  intro- 
duce your  scholars  into  general  literature.  History  opens 
up  the  whole  broad  field  of  historical  works  and  also  of  bi- 
ography; it  is  closely  connected  with  fiction,  too,  and  poetry; 
geography  at  once  suggests  the  library  of  travels.  Now,  we 
find  that  of  all  forms  of  literature  there  is  not  one  which  in 
popularity  can  compare  with  fiction.  From  the  cradle  to 
the  grave,  men  and  women  love  story-telling.  What  is  more, 
it  is  well  they  do;  a  good  novel  is  a  good  thing,  and  a  love  for 
good  novels  is  a  healthy  taste.  And  there  is  no  striking 
episode  in  history  which  has  not  been  made  the  basis  of 
some  good  work  of  fiction.  Only  it  is  necessary  for  you  to 
find  them  out,  and  to  put  them  in  the  hands  of  your  scholars; 
they  cannot  find  them  out  unaided. 

Next  in  popularity  to  works  of  fiction  are  travels.  A 
good,  graphic  book  of  travel  and  adventure  captivates  almost 
every  one,  no  matter  what  the  age.  After  travels  comes 
biography:  any  girl  will  read  the  story  of  Mary  Queen  of 
Scots;  any  boy  the  life  of  Paul  Jones.  Now,  here  is  our 
starting-point,  and  these  fundamental  facts  we  cannot  ignore 
and  yet  succeed;  human  beings  have  to  be  interested  and 
amused,  and  they  do  not  love  to  be  bored,  and  children, 
least  of  all,  are  an  exception  to  this  rule.  If,  then,  we  can 
instruct  an.d  improve  them  while  we  are  interesting  and 
amusing  them,  we  are  securing  a  result  we  want  in  the  nat- 
ural and  easy  way.  There  is  no  forcing.  Now  this  is  ex- 
actly what  well-informed  persons  can  do  for  any  child.  They 
can,  in  the  line  of  education,  put  them  in  the  way  of  instruc- 
tion through  amusement. 

Take,  for  instance,  geography,  and  suppose  your  class 
is  studying  the  map  of  Africa — the  whole  great  field  of  Afri- 
can exploration  and  adventure  is  at  once  opened  up  to  you 
and  your  scholars.  Turn  to  the  catalogue  of  our  Public  Li- 
brary and  see  at  once  what  a  field  of  interesting  investiga- 
tions is  spread  out,  first  for  yourself,  and  then  for  them. 
Here  are  a  hundred  volumes,  and  you  want  to  look  them  all 


LIBRARY  AND  SCHOOLS  31 

over  to  see  which  to  put  in  the  hands  of  your  selected  pupils: 
which  are  long  and  dull,  and  which  are  compact  and  stirring; 
which  are  adapted  to  boys,  and  which  to  girls,  and  how  you 
will  get  your  scholars  started  in  them.  Once  get  them  going, 
and  the  map  will  cease  to  be  a  map  and  will  become  a  picture 
full  of  life  and  adventure — not  only  to  them,  but  to  you.  You 
will  follow  with  them  Livingstone  and  Stanley  and  Baker; 
and  the  Pyramids  will  become  realities  to  them  as  they  reacl 
of  Moses  and  the  Pharaohs,  and  of  Cleopatra  and  Hannibal. 
The  recitation  then  becomes  a  lecture  in  which  the  pupils 
tell  all  they  have  found  out  in  the  books  they  have  read,  and 
in  which  the  teacher  can  suggest  the  reading  of  yet  other 
books;  while  the  mass  of  the  scholars,  from  merely  listening 
to  the  few,  are  stimulated  to  themselves  learn  something  of 
all  these  interesting  things. 

So  of  our  own  country  and  its  geography.  The  field  of 
reading  which  would  charm  and  interest  any  ordinary  boy 
or  girl  in  this  connection  is  almost  unlimited,  but  they  can- 
not find  it  out.  They  need  guidance.  What  active-minded 
boy,  for  instance,  but  would  thoroughly  enjoy  portions  at 
least  of  Parkman's  "Discovery  of  the  Great  West,"  or  his 
"Pioneers  of  France  in  the  New  World,"  or  his  "California 
Trail"?  And  yet,  how  many  of  you  ever  glanced  into  one  of 
those  absorbing  books  yourselves?  Nor  are  they  long  either 
— in  each  case  one  moderate-sized  volume  tells  the  whole 
story. 

Mark  Twain,  even,  would  here  come  in  through  his 
"Roughing  It,"  and  Ross  Brown  through  his  "Apache  Coun- 
try." Once  entered  upon,  however,  it  would  not  be  easy  to 
exhaust  the  list.  The  story  of  Mexico  and  Peru — Cortez  and 
Pizarro — the  voyages  of  Columbus  and  the  adventures  of 
De  Soto — they  have  been  told  in  fiction  and  in  history,  and 
it  is  to-day  a  terrible  shame  to  us  and  to  our  whole  school 
system  that  we  teach  American  history,  and  yet  don't  know 
how  to  make  the  study  of  American  history  interesting  to 
our  children  as  a  novel. 

I  want  very  much  indeed  to  see  our  really  admirable 
Town  Library  become  a  more  living  element  than  it  now  is 
in  our  school  system — its  complement,  in  fact.     Neither  trus- 


32  CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  Jr. 

tee,  nor  librarian,  no  matter  how  faithful  or  zealous  they  may 
be,  can  make  it  so;  for  we  cannot  know  enough  of  the  in- 
dividual scholars  to  give  them  that  which  they  personally 
need,  and  which  only  they  will  take;  you  cannot  feed  them 
until  you  know  what  they  cannot  get  at.  You  teachers,  how- 
ever, can  get  at  it,  if  you  only  choose  to.  To  enable  you  to 
do  this  the  trustees  of  the  library  have  adopted  a  new  rule, 
under  which  each  of  your  schools  may  be  made  practically 
a  branch  library.  The  master  can  himself  select  and  take 
from  the  library  a  number  of  volumes,  and  keep  them  on  his 
desk  for  circulation  among  the  scholars  under  his  charge.  He 
can  study  their  tastes  and  ransack  the  library  to  gratify  them. 
Nay,  more,  if  you  will  but  find  out  what  your  scholars  want 
— what  healthy  books  are  in  demand  among  them — the  trus- 
tees of  the  library  will  see  to  it  that  you  do  not  want  ma- 
terial. You  shall  have  all  the  books  you  will  care  for.  When, 
indeed,  you  begin  to  call,  we  shall  know  exactly  what  to 
buy;  and  then,  at  last,  we  could  arrange  in  printed  bulletins 
the  courses  of  reading  which  your  experience  would  point 
out  as  best,  and  every  book  would  be  accessible.  From  that 
time,  both  schools  and  library  would  begin  to  do  their  full 
work  together,  and  the  last  would  become  what  it  ought  to  be, 
the  natural  complement  of  the  first — the  People's  College. 


THE  SCHOOL  AND  THE  Lir.RARY:  THEIR 
MUTUAL  RELATION 

The  next  paper,  the  first  by  an  American  Hbrarian  to 
state  distinctly  the  problem  of  co-operation  and  to  indi- 
cate the  direction  of  its  solution,  is  by  Dr.  William  E. 
Foster,  Li]3rarian  of  the  Providence,  R.  L,  Public  Library. 
William  Eaton  Foster  was  born  in  Brattleboro,  Vt.,  in 
1851,  graduated  at  Brown  in  1873  (Litt.  D.,  1901)  and 
has  been  a  librarian  since  his  graduation,  taking  charge 
at  Providence  in  1877.  Lie  is  perhaps  best  known  for 
the  "Library  of  Best  Books"  selected  by  him  and  installed 
in  his  main  library — one  of  the  earliest  buildings  of  medi- 
um size  to  reflect  in  its  design  and  arrangement  the  prin- 
ciples of  modern  librarianship. 

It  is  the  purpose  of  this  paper  to  cite  some  of  the  rea- 
sons why  cooperation  between  the  school  and  the  library  is 
desirable  and  necessary,  and  also  to  point  out  some  of  the 
specific  methods  by  which  its  benefits  may  be  attained. 

Such  cooperation  is  eminently  fitting.  The  purposes  of 
the  two  are  to  some  extent  identical;  both  aim  to  supply 
needed  information  and  instruction;  both  have  in  view  the 
training  and  developing  of  the  intellect;  from  both  may  be 
derived  definite  opportunities  of  culture.  But  while  their 
aims  are  similar,  their  methods  and  relative  adaptedness  differ 
widely.  For  instance,  the  school  has  the  advantage  in  point 
of  the  frequency  and  regularity  with  which  its  influence  is 
communicated;  the  library  surpasses  it  in  the  length  of  time 
for  which  the  influence  is  exerted.  The  school  excels  in  the 
systematic   manner  in  which   the  pupils  are   reached;   while 


34  WILLIAM  E.  FOSTER 

the  library,  with  its  more  elastic  organization,  gives  more 
scope  to  individuality  on  the  part  of  the  reader  or  pupil. 
The  school,  in  confining  its  operations  to  the  young,  takes 
pupils  at  the  time  when  impressions  are  most  readily  and 
durably  formed,  and  excels  in  the  directness  of  its  methods; 
the  library,  however,  being  for  the  use  of  all,  both  old  and 
young,  succeeds  in  effecting  impressions  at  every  period  of 
life.  The  school  and  the  library  are,  in  an  emphatic  sense, 
complements  of  each  other,  two  halves  of  one  complete  pur- 
pose, neither  in  itself  possessing  every  requisite  advantage, 
but,  taken  in  connection,  lacking  nothing,  whether  universal- 
ity, systematic  methods,  directness,  adaptation  to  individ- 
uality, or  durability  of  impressions. 

Let  us,  however,  look  at  the  matter  from  the  point  of 
view  of  the  .school  (and  certainly,  as  public-spirited  citizens, 
we  librarians  are  deeply  interested  in  the  highest  success  of 
the  schools).  It  is  easy  to  see  how  the  pupil,  in  the  use  of 
his  text-books,  may,  at  repeated  points  where  his  interest  is 
awakened,  refer  to  the  fuller  and  more  adequate  discussions 
of  the  subject,  in  the  library;  how,  on  leaving  school  and  go- 
ing out  from  the  reach  of  its  influence,  he  finds  in  the  library 
a  means  of  continuing  and  perfecting  the  lines  of  study  which 
originated  in  the  school;  how,  in  fact,  the  course  of  instruc- 
tion, intended  as  it  is  as  a  groundwork  on  which  the  pupil 
may  build  his  subsequent  mental  development,  finds  its  best 
fulfillment  in  the  library.  Or,  on  the  other  hand,  from  the 
point  of  view  of  the  library,  we  see  that  an  intelligent  use 
of  the  books  is  more  certainly  assured  by  the  existence  of  a 
distinct  class  of  persons  who  are  regularly  and  systematically 
pursuing  a  given  course  of  study;  that  the  course  of  instruc- 
tion, with  its  allusions  to  knowledge  in  so  many  different 
departments,  is,  when  supplemented  by  the  suggestive  treat- 
ment of  an  intelligent  teacher,  the  means  of  bringing  many 
volumes  into  use  which  would  otherwise  stand  on  the  shelves 
unread;  that  the  work  of  a  library  (and  particularly  a  pub- 
lic library)  deals  largely  with  the  lower  work  of  implanting 
an  interest  and  giving  an  impulse  to  reading;  and  that  the 
school  not  merely  serves  the  purpose  of  furthering  and  de- 
veloping this  interest,  but  frequently  affords  the  opportunity 


SCITODT.  AXD  TJRRARV  35 

of  so  molding  the  minds  of  pupils  that  they  arc  led  to  con- 
tinue their  systematic  reading  after  leaving  school;  that  it 
is  plainly  impossible  for  the  librarian,  in  matters  relating 
to  counsel  and  influence,  personally  to  reach  all,  and  that  for 
this  reason  he  must  leave  the  matter  mostly  to  the  teachers, 
who  are  personally  brought  in  contact  with  the  pupils;  finally, 
that  a  view  to  the  intelligent  use  of  the  library  by  future 
generations  suggests  the  necessity  of  molding  the  reading 
habits  of  the  children  who  are  to  constitute  these  future  read- 
ers, while  they  are  still  forming  their  habits  of  life. 

Effective  cooperation,  in  this  matter,  presupposes  three 
things:  mutual  understanding,  mutual  acquaintance,  and 
mutual  action.  The  first  requisite  is  a  mutual  understanding 
of  methods  and  aims.  Without  it  there  may,  perhaps,  be 
some  successful  work,  but  that  it  incalculably  increases  the 
value  of  all  work,  scarcely  needs  demonstration.  Certainly  a 
teacher  w^ho  knows  the  methods  of  obtaining  books,  who  is 
familiar  with  the  books  themselves,  and  can  give  judicious 
counsel  as  to  their  use,  who  knows,  in  general,  the  purposes 
which  libraries  propose  to  themselves,  is  in  a  position  to 
render  more  efficient  aid  than  one  who  has  no  such  famili- 
arity. The  librarian  should  encourage  every  inclination  on 
the  part  of  teachers  to  familiarize  themselves  with  library 
w^ork.  On  the  other  hand,  the  librarian  must  know  some- 
thing of  the  work  of  the  teacher.  It  is  not  claimed  that 
he  should  enter  exhaustively  into  the  technical  details  of 
educational  science.  By  no  means.  That  is  the  teacher's 
special  work,  as  the  detail  of  library  science  is  his  own  special 
work.  But  there  are  certain  principles  underlying  the  na- 
ture and  growth  of  the  child's  mind,  and  the  order  in  which 
ideas  are  received  and  mental  processes  originated.  The 
school  and  the  library  are  both  means  of  communicating  in- 
formation and  effecting  instruction,  and  are  channels  of  men- 
tal and  moral  influence.  So  far,  therefore,  it  is  important 
that  the  librarian  should  know  that  perception  precedes  logi- 
cal processes  in  the  pupil's  mental  development;  that  the 
presentation  of  a  work,  intrinsically  valuable,  to  t(ie  notice 
of  the  child,  should  be  timed  to  correspond  not  only  with 
his  capacity  to  comprehend  it,  but  also  with  his  capacity  to 


36  ^  WILLIAM  E.  FOSTER 

feel  an  interest  in  it;  that  an  objectionable  matter  of  inter- 
est is  more  effectively  dispossessed  from  the  mind,  not  by 
simply  withdrawing  it,  but  by  awakening  interest  in  some- 
thing higher  and  better;  that  a  pupil's  course  can  be  most 
wisely  shaped,  not  by  preaching  at  him,  nor  yet  by  craftily 
enticing  him  into  good  reading,  but  by  gaining  his  confidence, 
and  then  judiciously  (and  as  earnestly  as  you  please)  bring- 
ing good  books  to  his  attention;  that  all  work  of  this  kind 
which  is  to  succeed  is  based,  not  upon  temporary  expedients 
and  superficial  methods,  but  upon  methods  which,  while  re- 
quiring time  in  their  fulfillment,  will  weave  themselves  into 
the  very  life  of  the  pupil. 

This  topic  leads  naturally  to  the  next.  There  is  no  better 
way  of  ensuring  mutual  understanding  than  through  mutual 
acquaintance.  Or,  to  put  it  in  another  form,  there  is  no 
surer  way  to  inspire  interest  in  the  corps  of  teachers  than 
through  acquaintance  with  them.  For  if  there  is  any  point 
upon  which  we  are  not  in  danger  of  laying  too  much  empha- 
sis, it  is  this  one  point,  interest.  In  order  to  use  l)ooks  to 
the  best  advantage,  the  pupil  must  be  thoroughly  interested. 
In  order  to  inspire  the  pupil  with  interest,  those  who  are 
directing  his  development  must  themselves  be  interested,  and 
as  the  librarian  cannot  personally  reach  all,  he  must  com- 
municate his  interest  to  the  teachers  through  personal 
acquaintance  with  them;  in  fact,  he  must  multiply  himself 
by  100,  or  200,  or  500.  He  must  communicate  his  interest  to 
them,  be  it  observed,  if  they  be  not  already  interested,  and 
it  is  a  pleasure  here  to  acknowledge  the  frequency  with  which 
intelligent  teachers  are  found  who  are  already  fully  alive  to 
the  importance  of  this  matter,  and  who  are  untiring  and  effi- 
cient cooperators  with  the  librarian.  But  even  here  we  know 
the  intensified  impulse  which  results  when  two  minds,  both 
fully  interested  in  a  common  purpose,  come  into  communica- 
tion. There  is  no  loss,  but  rather  a  gain,  as  we  have  had 
occasion  to  see  in  the  course  of  our  own  cooperation  as  li- 
brarians. Something  of  this  same  feeling,  almost  allied  to  an 
esprit  de  corps,  we  need  in  our  relations  with  the  teachers. 

On  the  mutual  knowledge  and  mutual  acquaintance  thus 
outlined  may  be  safely  based  such  details  of  mutual  action 


SCHOOL    AND    TJRRARY  37 

as  are  found  desirable.  For  no  process  can  achieve  the  high- 
est success  which  does  not  build  upon  an  adequate  apprecia- 
tion of  its  various  elements,  nor  can  there  be  any  true  de- 
velopment of  the  pupil  in  this  direction  which  is  not  at  every 
point  animated  and  inspired  by  the  personal  interest  of 
teacher  and  librarian  working  in  close  relations. 

First  among  specific  measures  may  be  mentioned  the 
basing  of  the  system  of  reading  to  which  the  pupil  is  to  be 
introduced,  on  the  course  of  study  which  has  been  marked 
out  for  the  school;  for,  whether  primary  school,  high  school, 
or  college,  this  course  of  study  may  be  supposed  to  repre- 
sent a  mature  and  deliberate  judgment  of  what  best  tends  to 
the  symmetrical  development  of  the  pupil.  To  illustrate:  the 
study  is  that  of  the  geography  of  South  America,  in  a  gram- 
mar-school class.  Let  one  pupil  be  referred  to  Agassiz's 
work  on  Brazil,  another  to  a  work  on  Ecuador,  another  to 
one  on  Peru,  another  to  one  on  Patagonia,  Or,  again,  a 
class  in  the  high  school  is  reading  Cicero.  Let  Forsyth's 
"Life  of  Cicero"  be  assigned  to  one  pupil,  Froude's  "Caesar" 
to  another,  Merivale's  "History  of  the  Romans  under  the 
Empire"  to  another,  Brougham's  "Roman  Orators"  to  a 
fourth,  and  to  another,  Plutarch's  "Lives."  Time  should  be 
allowed  for  a  careful  and  thorough  reading  of  these  works, 
and  afterwards  the  impressions  thus  gained  be  followed  up  by 
the  teacher,  either  by  personal  conversation  or  by  a  general 
exercise  with  the  class,  as  indicated  farther  on  in  this  paper. 

Of  a  different  nature  is  the  course  which  should  be  taken 
in  familiarizing  pupils  with  the  use  of  reference-books.  This 
should  begin  very  early  in  the  pupil's  career,  and  be  made  an 
essential  part  of  his  mental  constitution,  for  in  this  consists 
one  of  the  chief  points  of  difference  between  a  man  of  ac- 
curate scholarship  and  one  who  half  knows  a  thing,  a  man 
with  definite  and  specific  habits  of  thought  and  one  in  whose 
vague  apprehension  knowledge  is  almost  lost.  Not  only 
should  pupils  be  familiarized  at  the  school-room  with  the 
use  of  such  reference-books  as  may  be  there,  but  referred  to 
the  library  for  others.  See  that  the  pupil  forms  the  habit 
of  follov/ing  up  his  reading  of  a  work  of  history  or  travel 
with  an  atlas  on  which  he  may  trace  the  routes,  and  gain  a 


38  WILLIAM  E.   FOSTER 

definite  picture  in  his  own  mind.  In  reading  a  scientific  work, 
let  him  turn  to  the  cyclopaedias  for  an  explanation  of  some 
process  or  term  with  which  he  is  unacquainted,  and,  in  read- 
ing any  work,  let  him  consult  the  English  dictionary  for 
the  meaning  and  derivation  of  unfamiliar  words.  At  the  li- 
brary the  works  of  reference  should  be  entirely  accessible, 
being  placed  outside  the  counter,  with  every  convenience 
for  consulting  them;  and  the  librarian  should  take  pains,  as 
far  as  possible,  to  assist  in  familiarizing  readers  with  their 
use.  We  take  pleasure  in  quoting  from  a  teacher  the  follow- 
ing suggestion,  which  expresses  precisely  the  proper  attitude 
of  the  librarian:  "If  information  is  sought  which  you  cannot 
supply  at  the  moment,  do  not  put  off  the  inquirer  until  you 
have  had  time  to  look  it  up  privately.  Set  to  work  zuith 
him;  show  him  your  method  of  'chasing  down'  a  subject; 
teach  him  how  to  use  dictionaries,  indexes,  and  tables  of  con- 
tents. 'Work  aloud'  before  the  pupil.  In  short,  show  him 
how  to  carry  on  investigations  for  himself."  The  teacher 
should  systematically  encourage  this  tendency  by  questions 
given  out  at  regular  intervals,  which  do  not,  like  the  topics 
already  alluded  to,  require  reading  a  book  through,  but  which 
require  the  consulting  of  a  reference-book.  The  pupil  will 
thank  his  instructor  for  such  discipline  as  this,  in  after  life, 
for  the  habit  of  intelligent  observation  and  investigation, 
which  has  become  almost  "second  nature,"  is  of  itself  well 
worth   acquiring. 

But  that  which  is  essentially  information  is  not  the  only 
species  of  reading  to  which  the  pupil  should  be  introduced. 
DeQuincey's  distinction  between  the  "literature  of  knowl- 
edge" and  the  "literature  of  power"  accurately  designates 
the  two  elements,  one  of  which  is  as  essential  to  the  com- 
plete development  of  the  pupil  as  is  the  other.  In  all  that 
relates  to  the  pupil's  use  of  books  in  the  department  of  fic- 
tion, of  poetry,  of  general  literature,  the  teacher  has  an  inti- 
mate interest.  He  knows,  on  the  one  hand,  what  worthless, 
nay,  what  injurious  books  may  possibly  engage  the  pupil's 
attention.  He  knows,  on  the  other  hand,  what  masterpieces 
of  thought  and  expression,  what  exquisite  passages  and  de- 
lightful volumes,  may  possibly  never  be  brought  to  his  notice. 


SCIIOOT.  AND  TJBRARY  30 

If  he  have  the  patience  to  make  a  study  of  the  pupil's  de- 
velopment, and,  more  than  this,  if  he  have  a  genuine  sym- 
pathy with  the  pupil's  individual  temperament  and  peculiar 
taste,  he  may,  he  will,  be  able  to  direct  his  reading  into  the 
right  channels,  and  to  help  him  to  a  culture  higher  than  any 
routine  discipline. 

There  is  an  exercise  in  most  of  our  schools  known  as 
English  composition.  Rightly  improved,  it  is  an  invaluable 
opportunity  to  the  pupil,  not  merely  of  learning  to  express 
himself  correctly,  but,  by  drawing  him  into  a  hundred  vari- 
ous lines  of  thought,  of  setting  in  operation  mental  processes 
otherwise  in  danger  of  lying  dormant.  The  librarian,  while 
supplying  help  in  connection  with  composition-writing, 
should  remember  not  to  lose  sight  of  this  fundamental  prin- 
ciple; for  the  exercise  can  easily  be  conducted  in  such  a  way 
as  to  deaden,  instead  of  developing  thought.  If  the  librarian 
is  furnished  by  the  teacher  with  a  list  of  the  subjects  assigned 
(and  it  would  be  well  if  this  practice  were  observed),  he 
should  take  pains  to  make  topical  references  to  whatever 
the  library  contains  on  the  subjects,  whether  in  separate  vol- 
umes, in  collections  of  essays,  in  collective  biographies,  in 
periodicals,  or  in  government  publications.  This  is  labor 
which  will  yield  a  rich  return.  But  at  the  same  time  he 
should,  by  judicious  counsel  and  suggestion,  direct  the  use 
of  the  authorities,  if  possible,  in  the  proper  way.  He  should 
see  that  the  pupil  is  not  forming  the  habit  of  mechanically 
incorporating  the  material  of  the  author  into  his  own  compo- 
sition, without  any  mental  effort,  without  really  making  the 
thought  his,  but  that  with  his  mental  powers  in  full  operation, 
and  stimulated  by  the  suggestiveness  of  the  author,  the 
thought  passes,  by  a  process  of  assimilation,  into  the  consti- 
tution of  his  own  mind.  It  is  by  no  means  certain  that  the 
method  of  a  New  England  high-school  teacher,  in  this  de- 
partment, is  not  the  correct  one.  Books  are  systematically 
assigned  to  members  of  the  class  for  careful  reading,  and 
also  subjects  for  composition  on  allied  topics,  but  the  latter 
are  separated  from  the  former  by  an  interval  of  several 
months,  and  the  request  Is  made  that  there  shall  be  no  recur- 
ring  to    the    books    after   they    have    once    been    read.      The 


40  WILLIAM  E.  FOSTER 

tendency  is  to  a  careful,  symmetrical  reading  of  the  book  at 
the  outset,  there  being  no  pressure  felt  to  read  with  an  eye 
solely  to  one  feature,  since  the  particular  use  which  is  to  be 
made  of  it  is  not  then  known.  The  substance  of  the  book 
is  acquired,  and,  by  the  deliberate  reflection  of  several 
months,  digested.  When  at  last  the  time  comes  to  write, 
the  pupil  draws,  not  upon  the  material  of  another  writer, 
transferring  it  bodily,  but  upon  the  contents  and  resources  of 
his  own  mind.  It  may  be  that  this  method  does  not  adm.it 
of  universal  application,  but,  where  it  is  adopted,  it  must 
result  in  a  culture  of  a  superior  order,  since  reading,  viewed 
in  this  light,  is  not  an  operation  to  take  the  place  of  thought. 
It  is  one  which  is  accompanied  by  the  highest  exercise  of 
thought. 

There  is  another  exercise  which  is  not  yet  an  established 
feature  of  our  school  system  but  which  has  been  adopted  by 
several   teachers   with   unvarying   success. 

This  was  advocated  by  the  principal  of  the  Worcester 
high  school,  in  a  recent  address,  under  the  name  of  the  "free 
hour,"  and  is  a  specified  time,  generally  once  a  week,  when 
the  whole  school  comes  together  under  the  principal's  direc- 
tion, and  the  opportunity  is  afforded  of  giving  the  instruc- 
tion a  more  general  turn.  We  can  readily  see  the  possibil- 
ities of  such  a  method  in  the  hands  of  a  skillful  teacher,  par- 
ticularly as  it  relates  to  the  reading  of  the  scholars.  It  may 
even  include  instruction  as  to  the  external  use  of  books:  that 
a  book  is  to  be  treated  with  decency  and  respect,  the  leaves 
not  turned  down,  nor  soiled  nor  written  on;  the  leaves  of  a 
large  book  turned  over  with  care  and  not  picked  up  at  the 
bottom  nor  leaned  on  with  the  elbows;  the  fingers  never 
moved  over  the  engraved  surface  of  a  plate  or  a  map;  books 
never  left  lying  face  downward,  nor  standing  on  the  fore- 
edge,  nor  held  with  their  two  covers  pressed  back  to  back. 
It  may  certainly  include  suggestions  as  to  the  proper  way 
to  "take  a  book's  measure,"  or  "make  its  acquaintance,"  not 
by  opening  at  random  somewhere  in  the  middle,  and  aim- 
lessly turning  over  a  few  pages  here  and  there,  but  opening 
at  the  title-page,  noting  what  that  has  to  say,  then  consult- 
ing the  table  of  contents  for  an  analytical  ground-work  of 


SCHOOL  AND  LIBRARY  41 

the  book,  then,  by  the  aid  of  the  index,  turning  to  and  ob- 
serving what  the  book  appears  to  contain  which  one  docs 
not  find  in  other  books.  It  certainly  may  inchide  sugges- 
tions as  to  the  use  of  reference-books  and  in  connection  with 
preparing  essays  or  compositions.  It  certainly  ought  to 
include  exercises  in  direct  connection  with  the  subjects 
studied  about  in  the  text-books,  and  counsel  as  to  the  matter 
of  reading  in  general,  as  has  already  been  suggested.  We 
all  know  how  a  book,  at  one  time  passed  by  with  indifference 
or  conscientiously  plodded  through,  without  apprehending 
or  appreciating  it,  has  afterwards  been  taken  up,  and  read 
with  keen  interest,  simply  because  the  mind  had  now  become 
charged  with  ideas  and  tendencies  in  direct  relation  with 
that  subject.  This  is  one  reason  why  the  system  of  daily 
bulletins  or  notes  which  some  libraries  have  adopted  is  so 
successful.  These  notes  ensure  the  reading  of  the  book  di- 
rectly in  the  strongest  light  which  can  be  brought  to  bear 
upon  it,  that  of  interest;  bringing  out  with  distinctness,  and 
in  relief,  hundreds  of  points  otherwise  unnoticed.  It  is  in 
the  power  of  the  teachers  to  familiarize  their  pupils  with  the 
regular,  daily  use  of  these  bulletins,  and  thus  put  them  in 
the  way  of  a  more  intelligent  connection  with  the  movement 
of  events  in  the  world  around  them;  and  this  also  may  prop- 
erly enter  into  the  work  of  the  "free  hour." 

Not  as  a  substitute  for  the  several  methods  already 
enumerated,  but  rather  in  order  to  gather  them  up  and  en- 
force them,  it  has  been  found  desirable  in  some  places  to 
publish  a  manual  which  shall  be  placed  in  the  hands  of 
pupils.  Let  us  examine,  for  a  moment,  the  requirements  of 
such  a  plan.  There  should  be  lists  of  books  suitable  for  the 
reading  of  the  pupils  in  order  that  the  tendency  of  the  young 
to  lose  themselves  in  a  wilderness  of  literature  may  be 
diminished  as  much  as  possible.  Not  only  should  these 
books  be  chosen  with  the  utmost  care,  revised  and  amended 
from  the  point  of  view  respectively  of  teacher,  pupil  and  li- 
brarian, but  it  should  be  expressly  stated  that  this  list  is  not 
to  be  regarded  as  containing  everything  that  the  pupil  should 
read,  but   as  illustrating  certain   important   lines   of   reading. 


42  WILLIAM  E.  FOSTER 

More  than  this,  instead  of  being  final,  such  a  list  ought  to  be 
made  the  basis  upon  which  the  librarian,  by  frequent  and 
easy  communication  with  the  schools,  may  from  time  to  time 
make  such  additions  as  shall  be  appropriate,  and,  in  the  light 
of  topics  of  interest,  seasonable.  But  this  manual  should 
also  comprise  a  series  of  suggestions  to  the  pupils,  on  the 
proper  use  of  the  library.  In  order  to  accomplish  their  pur- 
pose these  must  be  brief,  and  directly  to  the  point.  More 
than  this:  they  should  be  carefully  explained  by  the  teacher, 
at  the  outset,  and  afterwards  enforced  practically,  repeatedly, 
continually,  whenever  the  opportunity  offers.  This  constant 
enforcement,  and  instilling  of  principles  is  of  the  highest 
importance;  rather,  it  embraces  everything  else  here  named. 
And  no  genuine  teacher  needs  to  be  told  how  effective,  in 
this  connection,  is  individual  work.  Much  can  be  done  in 
a  general  way;  the  "free  hour"  offers  opportunities  of  a 
high  order;  but  the  hold  which  a  teacher  may  gain,  the  in- 
fluence he  may  effect,  is  intensified  a  hundred-fold  by  inter- 
esting himself  in  individual  pupils  whom  he  sees  he  can  bene- 
fit; helping  and  instructing  them,  giving  counsel  and  sug- 
gestions as  to  the  use  "  of  books,  gaining  their  confidence 
and  learning  the  direction  of  their  development;  going  per- 
sonally with  them  to  the  library,  and  taking  pains  to  give 
them  an  insight  into  literature;  in  short,  placing  himself 
where  his  efforts  will  have  a  directness  not  otherwise  to  be 
attained. 

And  if,  to  the  teacher,  such  usefulness  is  possible,  cer- 
tainly no  librarian  will  neglect  to  avail  himself  of  all  such 
opportunities  which  present  themselves,  even  though  he 
should  be  able  to  give  to  this  work  only  a  few  minutes  in 
each  day.  "There  are  few  pleasures,"  to  quote  the  language 
of  a  librarian  justly  eminent  in  this  very  department  of  li- 
brary work,  "there  are  few  pleasures  comparable  to  that  of 
associating  continually  with  curious  and  vigorous  young 
minds  and  of  aiding  them  in  realizing  their  ideals."  Every 
librarian  should  have  it  perfectly  well  understood  that  he  is 
not  merely  willing  but  only  too  happy  to  render  service  of 
this  kind. 


^ 


SCHOOL  AND   LII'.kARY  43 

It  will  be  seen  that  these  suggestions  are  in  the  line  of 
a  more  systematic  effort  to  make  the  benefits  of  our  libraries 
effective  by  more  effectually  preparing  the  readers  to  use 
them.  It  will  be  seen  also  that  the  aim  has  been  rather  to 
turn  existing  agencies  in  this  direction  than  to  introduce 
wholly  new  growths.  The  lapse  of  a  generation  through 
which  such  a  course  of  training  had  been  carried  steadily 
forward,  would  furnish  a  reading  public  such  as  would  open 
to  our  library  system  an  entirely  new  era  of  usefulness,  and 
make  its  results  palpably  manifest,  in  the  development  of 
civilization.  To  recapitulate:  On  the  part  of  the  pupil  there 
are  requisite  a  continuous  mental  development  and  sufficient 
scope  for  individuality.  On  the  part  of  the  teacher  and  li- 
brarian are  requisite  a  genuine  interest  in  the  work  and  mutu- 
al cooperation.  The  choice  of  methods  must  aim  to  bring 
the  strong  light  of  interest  to  bear  on  the  presentation  of 
each  subject,  and  must  be  essential!}^  direct  and  personal, 
and  must  follow  up  the  first  steps  by  continuous  efforts. 
Instead  of  a  policy  which  contemplates  brilliant  but  super- 
ficial operations,  should  be  chosen  one  which,  with  patience 
and  persistency,  enters  upon  measures  which  require  time 
for  their  development,  but  whose  results  are  substantial  and 
permanent.  These  are  practical  suggestions,  and  it  lies  in 
our  power  to  make  a  practical  application  of  them. 


THE  RELATION  OE  THE  PUBLIC    Lli;k.\RV  TO 
THE  rUBLIC  SCHOOLS 

This  paper  was  followed  in  1880  by  a  co-ordinate 
treatment  of  the  subject  by  a  neighboring  librarian,  Mr. 
Samuel  S.  Green,  Librarian  of  the  Worcester,  Mass., 
Public  Library.  Samuel  Swett  Green  was  born  in 
Worcester  in  1837  and  graduated  at  Harvard  in  1858. 
He  was  an  original  member  of  his  state  library  commis- 
sion (from  1890),  a  founder  and  life  member  of  the 
A.  L.  A.  and  its  president  in  1891.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Board  of  the  Worcester  Public  Library  from  1867 
to  1871  and  its  librarian  from  1871  to  1909,  in  which  year 
he  was  made  librarian  emeritus. 

It  is  obviously  important  to  maintain  close  relations 
between  libraries  and  educational  institutions  which  are  de- 
signed for  students  whose  minds  are  somewhat  mature. 

A  wise  college  professor  encourages  and  stimulates 
learners  to  look  at  subjects  from  many  points  of  view,  to 
examine  processes  by  which  scholars  reach  conclusions, 
and  to  make  investigations  themselves.  Such  methods  only 
are  requisite  when  a  period  of  history  is  to  be  studied,  opin- 
ions regarding  questions  in  political  economy  or  natural  his- 
tory to  be  considered,  an  English  or  classical  author  to  be 
interpreted,  or  controverted  questions  in  philosophy  or  the- 
ology   to   be    discussed. 

Students  in  advanced  educational  institutions  should 
therefore  have  free  access  to  the  best  books  in  all  depart- 
ments of  knowledge.  They  need  instructors  who,  however 
positive   their   own    opinions   may   be    in    regard    to    contro- 


46  ^SAMUEL  S.  GREEN 

verted  questions,  and  however  earnest  they  may  be  in  utter- 
ing these  convictions,  nevertheless  are  animated  by  a  broad, 
unsectarian  spirit  in  teaching.  They  need,  also,  books  to 
enable  them  to  pursue  their  studies  in  accordance  with  the 
views   and   spirit   of   such   instructors. 

At  Brown  University  it  is  considered  practicable  to  al- 
low students  to  go  into  the  alcoves  without  permission,  and 
take  from  the  shelves  such  books  as  they  wish  to  use. 

While  inspecting,  three  years  ago,  the  library  in  the 
building  especially  devoted  to  the  study  of  Natural  History 
at  Oxford  University,  I  noticed  that  much  space  was  given 
to  collections  of  books  needed  by  students  in  their  daily 
work.  These  books  were  kept  by  themselves,  and  old  books 
were  withdrawn  from  the  shelves  and  new  ones  added  as 
occasion  required.  Students  had  free  access  to  these  collec- 
tions, and  were  thus  kept  from  the  discouragement  which 
young  inquirers  (may  I  not  say  nearly  all  inquirers?)  felt 
in  selecting,  with  no  aid  but  that  afforded  by  the  catalogue 
of  a  large  library,  such  books  as  are  needed  in  somewhat 
limited  researches. 

In  Harvard  College  library,  a  large  number  of  the  pro- 
fessors designate  works  to  be  set  .aside,  on  shelves  prepared 
for  the  purpose,  for  the  use  of  students  in  pursuing  courses 
of  instruction  given  by  them,  and  I  learn  from  its  distin- 
guished librarian  that  it  is  his  purpose  to  select  from  the 
great  collection  of  books  under  his  charge  30,000  or  40,000 
volumes,  to  be  used  by  students  as  a  working  library. 

They  are  to  have  the  privilege  of  roaming  at  pleasure 
through  the  shelving  devoted  to  this  collection,  and  of  rum- 
maging at  will  among  the  books.  As  works  become  an- 
tiquated they  will  be  removed  from  these  shelves,  and  new 
ones  will  be  constantly  placed  upon  them. 

Additional  advantages  are  within  reach,  where,  as  in 
Rochester  University  it  is  the  practice  of  several  of  the  pro- 
fessors to  meet  students  at  the  library  during  specified  hours, 
to  talk  over  with  them  subjects  that  they  are  interested  in 
and  assist  in  the  selection  of  books  needed  in  their  investiga- 
tion and  treatment.  Where,  as  in  the  largest  colleges  of  the 
country,  it  is  not  customary  for  the  professors  to  meet  many 


RELATION  OF   I.IBkAin'  To  SCHOOL  47 

of  the  students  excepting  in  the  class  or  lecturc-rootn,  ihrrc 
should  be  a  librarian  or  competent  assistant,  whose  duty  it 
is  to  i-ive  whatever  time  is  needed  in  rendeiing  assistance 
to  persons  engaged  in  investigation.  Such  an  officer  should 
be  careful  not  to  render  the  inquirer  dependent,  and  only 
to  remove  obstacles  enough  to  make  investigation  attractive. 

The  librarian  of  a  college  can  easily  supplement  his 
general  knowledge  of  books  with  the  special  bibliographical 
information   had   by   the   professors   of  the   institution. 

The  student  often  needs  to  be  referred  to  sources  of 
information.  If,  for  example,  he  has  to  consider  one  of  the 
applications  of  science  to  the  arts,  arrangements  at  the  li- 
brary should  be  such  that  he  will  have  standard  works  and 
monographs  pointed  out  to  him,  and  his  attention  called  to 
the  sets  of  proceedings  and  transactions  of  learned  societies 
and  periodicals  which  should  be  consulted  by  him,  with  the 
aid   of  indices,  in   seeking  for  the   information  he   desires. 

It  is-  not  enough  to  set  aside  in  a  college  library  collec- 
tions of  books  illustrative  of  the  various  branches  of  knowl- 
edge. Students  need,  also,  the  assistance  of  accomplished 
professors  or  a  well-informed  librarian  in  making  researches. 
This  assistance  leads  to  a  more  thorough  performance  of 
work  in  hand. 

It  does  more  than  this,  however.  Its  best  results  are 
found  in  the  knowledge  which  it  gives  the  inquirer  of  finding 
out  how  to  get  at  information  by  the  use  of  books,  and  in 
the  formation  in  him  of  the  habit  of  making  investigations 
and    in    the   acquisition    of   facility    in    their   conduct. 

It  may  be  mentioned  incidentally  that  wdiere  higher  edu- 
cational institutions  depend  upon  public  libraries  for  books, 
and  these  are  situated  at  a  distance  from  their  buildings,  it 
has  proved  useful,  in  one  instance,  at  least,  to  enlist  stu- 
dents in  the  work  of  making  an  index  of  some  of  the  princi- 
pal sets  of  transactions  which  they  and  the  professors  have 
oftenest  to  consult,  to  be  kept  where  its  use  will  be  con- 
venient   to   them. 

Academies  and  high  schools  need  access  to  well-fur- 
nished libraries.  Worcester,  Massachusetts,  is  a  small  city 
of  about  60,000  inhabitants.     It  has  many  educational  insti- 


48  SAMUEL  S.  GREEN 

tutions  besides  its  public  schools.  In  addition  to  the  Free 
Institute  of  Industrial  Science  and  the  College  of  the  Holy 
Cross,  institutions  which  make  a  constant  use  of  the  Public 
Library,  but  which  for  our  present  purpose  should  be  classed 
with  colleges,  it  has  a  State  Normal  School,  an  endowed 
academy,  a  military  school,  and  several  smaller  schools  for 
young  ladies  and  boys.  It  has  also,  a  large  high  school. 
Teachers  and  pupils  from  all  of  these  schools  make  a  large 
use  of  the  Public  Library  every  day.  Thus  the  students  at 
the  Normal  School,  use  it  for  a  variety  of  purposes.  They 
are  required  for  example,  to  choose  subjects  which  they  will 
talk  about  before  the  school  for  a  few  minutes.  They  come 
to  the  library  with  subjects  selected  on  which  they  wish  for 
information.  This  they  get  when  they  can  from  reference 
books  which  they  are  allowed  to  consult  without  asking  per- 
mission. They  call,  too,  for  such  books  as  they  desire. 
When  however,  as  is  frequently  the  case,  they  do  not  know 
what  the  sources  of  information  are,  or  which  of  several 
books  it  is  well  to  read  or  study,  they  go  to  the  librarian 
for  assistance,  and  he  points  out  to  them  books,  pamphlets, 
and  articles  which  contain  the  material  desired  by  them  in 
the  form  they  wish.  The  librarian,  in  searching  for  informa- 
tion, conducts  the  search,  in  so  far  as  is  possible,  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  inquirer,  so  as  to  teach  him  how  to  get  at  in- 
formation  desired. 

These  pupils  are  also  required  to  write  essays  on  vari- 
ous topics  illustrative  of  the  principles  and  art  of  instruction. 
The  librarian  refers  them  to  the  writings  of  such  authors  as 
Richter  and  Rousseau,  Locke  and  Bain,  Mann  and  Spencer, 
and  to  sets  of  such  periodicals  as  Barnard's  Journal  of  Edu- 
cation and  to  series  of  volumes  containing  addresses  and  ac- 
counts of  discussions  in  the  annual  meetings  of  the  Ameri- 
can Institution  of  Instruction,  the  National  Educational  As- 
sociation and  other  bodies,  and  to  reports  of  the  best  super- 
visors and  superintendents  of  schools.  Professor  Russell, 
the  principal  of  the  Normal  School,  in  writing  about  the 
connection  between  the  Public  Library  and  this  school  last 
April,  made  the  following  statements:  "I  find,  upon  inquiry, 
that  during  the  current  school  year,  beginning  last  Septem- 


REf.ATION    ol-    IJI'.kAin'    lO  SCHOOL  49 

bcr,  not  less  tlian  64  per  cent  of  the  students  of  tlie  State 
Normal  School  have  had  occasion  to  visit  the  Public  Li!)rary 
to  pursue  investigations  connected  with  their  studies,  several 
reporting  upward  of  twenty  such  visits,  and  this  notwith- 
standing- the  fact  that  the  school  is  situated  at  a  distance 
from  the  library,  and  that  we  have  an  excellent  though  small 
working  library  of  our  own.  The  works  thus  consulted 
cover  a  wide  range,  but  are  chiefly  in  the  departments  of 
science,  history,  art,  politics,  statistics,  biography,  and  gen- 
eral literature.  So  far  as  our  own  school  is  concerned, 
therefore,  we  could  not  without  serious  loss  dispense  with 
so  valuable  an  auxiliary  in  the  training  of  teachers  for  the 
public  schools.  Moreover,  I  find  that  our  graduates  who 
go  away  from  Worcester  to  teach,  very  generally  complain 
of  the  inconvenience  and  privation  they  feel  in  being  cut  ofif 
from  the  privileges  of  the  Public  Library. 

In  the  high  school  some  of  the  teachers,  for  the  purpose 
of  cultivating  readiness  in  expression  and  ease  in  composi- 
tion, as  well  as  with  the  object  of  rendering  the  knowledge  of 
subjects  taught  thorough,  require  scholars  to  talk  and  write 
frequently  about  subjects  suggested  by  the  lessons  and  lec- 
tures, and  thus  to  pursue  limited  investigations  in  such 
branches  of  knowledge  as  history,  chemistry,  English  litera- 
ture, and  classical  biography  and  antiquities.  It  is  custom- 
ary in  this  school,  when  questions  occur  to  the  teacher  that 
cannot  be  answered  bj^  the  use  of  books  at  hand,  or  are 
asked  by  scholars,  for  a  teacher  or  pupil  to  go  to  the  library 
before  the  next  session  of  the  school,  and  by  consultation 
with  the  librarian  or  an  assistant  select  works  containing  the 
answers  sought. 

An  advanced  class,  which  is  listening  to  lectures  on  some 
of  the  more  important  practical  topics  in  political  economy 
and  the  science  of  republican  government,  will  be  told  to 
give  in  writing  the  history  of  the  movement  for  civil  service 
reform  and  an  account  of  the  arguments  brought  forward 
in  favor  of  plans  proposed  to  further  it  and  in  opposition  to 
them,  or  a  description  of  the  proceedings  of  Congress  which 
led  to  the  formation  of  the  Electoral   Commission  after  the 


50  SAMUEL  S.  GREEN 

last  presidential  election,  or  of  the  arguments  used  for  and 
against  woman  suffrage. 

Another  advanced  class  will  be  required  to  write  essays 
on  such  subjects  as  fermentation  and  disinfectants. 

Some  of  the  teachers  come  to  the  library,  and  in  consul- 
tation with  the  librarian,  select  large  numbers  of  bookS;  more 
or  less  closely  connected  with  the  studies  which  scholars  are 
at  the  time  pursuing,  and  recommend  them  to  pupils  to  read 
in  connection  with  their  lessons  or  for  entertainment. 

Many  of  the  teachers  consult  the  librarian  in  regard  to 
books  to  be  used  by  them  in  their  own  preparation  for  class 
work. 

Some  teachers  bring  classes  to  the  library  to  see  illustra- 
tions of  the  architecture  of  Greece,  and  Rome,  or  specimens 
of  early  printing  and  illuminations,  or  examples  of  the  work 
of  great  artists.  They  are  received  there  in  a  large  room, 
furnished  with  a  table  and  settees,  and  well  heated  and 
lighted. 

Mr.  Samuel  Thurber,  the  principal  of  the  high  school, 
wrote  in  a  paper  which  is  dated  June  15,  1897,  as  follows. 

"Pupils  of  the  high  school,  in  common  with  other  citi- 
zens of  Worcester,  are  exceptionally  favored  in  their  op- 
portunities for  reading  and  investigation  in  the  Free  Public 
Library.  That  they  take  advantage  of  these  admirable  facil- 
ities is  evident  to  any  one  who  sits  for  an  hour  in  the  after- 
noon with  the  librarian,  and  observes  the  boys  and  girls,  of 
all  classes,  who  come  with  their  questions  concerning  almost 
all  matters  in  history,  science,  and  literature.  The  librarian 
and  his  assistants  must  know  pretty  well  what  is  going  on 
in   the   school. 

There  is  a  post-meridian  session  of  the  school  every  day 
over  in  Elm  street.  While  the  regular  teachers  are  hurrying 
and  worrying  with  college  classes,  these  afternoon  teachers 
in  the  other  building  are  patiently  having  their  session,  which 
does  not  end  at  any  particular  time,  but  only  when  each  ques- 
tioner is  answered,  or  at  least  shown  how  to  find  his  answer. 
We  do  not  see  why  these  Elm  street  folks  are  not  just  as 
much  high-school  teachers  as  those  who  congregate  each 
morning  in  the  great  building  with  the  tower," 


RELATIOX  OF  LIP.RARV  TO  SCHOr)!.  51 

Again,  under  date  of  April  5,  1880,  Mr.  Thurbcr  writes: 
"As  an  ally  of  the  high  school,  the  Public  Library  is  not 
merely  useful;  it  is  absolutely  indespensable.  By  this  I  mean 
that  without  the  Library  our  work  would  have  to  be  radically 
changed  for  the  worse,  and  would  become  little  better  than 
mere  memorizing  of  text-books.  Our  teachers  and  pupils 
throng  the  Library,  and  there  accjuire  the  habit  of  investiga- 
tion, and  of  independent,  well-grounded  opinion  on  a  multi- 
tude of  subjects  of  the  utmost  importance  to  citizens  in  a 
republican  State.  Without  the  school,  occasion  for  exploring 
the  Library  would  arise  much  less  frequently;  and  without 
the  Library,  the  desire  for  knowledge  constantly  awakened 
in  the  school,  would  have  to  go  unsatisfied." 

The  teachers  and  scholars  of  the  grammar  and  some 
lower  grades  of  schools  may  derive  great  advantage  from 
the  use  of  facilities  which  it  is  in  the  power  of  public  li- 
braries to  afford  them.  Few  friends  of  education  seem  to 
have  found  out,  however,  that  a  close  connection  between 
public  libraries  and  schools  of  these  grades  is  practicable, 
even  when  they  have  come  to  realize  that  it  is  desirable. 
Wishing,  therefore,  to  give  a  practical  turn  to  this  paper,  I 
think  I  cannot  do  better  than  to  write  out  an  account  of 
some  efforts  in  this  direction  made  in  Worcester  during 
the  last  winter  and  spring.  Four  gentlemen  interested  in 
the  movement — namely,  the  Superintendent  of  Public  Schools, 
a  member  of  the  Sc-hool  Committee,  w^ho  was  also  a  member 
of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Public  Library,  the  principal 
of  the  Normal  School,  and  the  Librarian  of  the  Public  Li- 
brary— came  together  late  in  the  fall  of  1879,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  considering  whether  it  was  desirable  and  feasible 
to  bring  about  a  considerable  use  for  school  purposes  of  the 
books  in  the  Public  Library,  by  the  teachers  and  pupils  of 
the  schools  of  the  seventh,  eighth,  and  ninth  grades. 

These  gentlemen  agreed  that  the  studies  of  scholars 
would  be  made  pleasanter  and  more  profitable  were  such 
use  to  be  made  of  the  Public  Library. 

They  thought  also,  that  in  the  event  of  the  establish- 
ment of  a  close  connection  between  the  Library  and  these 
grades  of  schools,  much  good  might  be  done  in  guiding  the 


52  ^  SAMUEL  S.  GREEN 

home  reading  of  children  at  an  age  when  the  habits  of  read- 
ing and  study  are  forming. 

But  an  obstacle  suggested  itself  at  the  start,  namely,  the 
crowded  state  of  the  course  of  study.  This  was  overcome 
by  deciding  to  confine  the  attention  in  the  beginning  to  ef- 
forts to  secure  the  benefits  first  mentioned,  and  even  in  this 
direction  to  aim  only  at  the  gradual  introduction  of  improved 
methods.  The  conclusions  reached  were  that  it  was  advis- 
able to  proceed  to  the  immediate  use  of  attractive  library 
books  in  the  study  of  geography,  and  in  order  to  get  the 
additional  time  needed  in  carrying  the  new  plan  into  execu- 
tion, as  well  as  for  the  purpose  of  making  the  exercise  in 
reading  more  interesting  and  useful  the  reading  of  classes 
should  be  largely  done  from  carefully  selected  books  of  travel 
instead  of  from  reading-books.  The  Superintendent  of 
Schools  invited  the  librarian  to  lay  the  plan  proposed  before 
the  teachers  in  the  grades  of  schools  mentioned  above,  and 
when  they  had  been  called  together  he  pointed  out  to  them 
that  there  were  many  things  that  could  be  done  in  schools 
to  better  advantage  than  at  present  were  there  a  close  con- 
nection between  the  Library  and  the  schools;  offering  at 
the  same  time  to  aid  them  in  doing  any  good  work  they 
might  wish  to  undertake,  but  advising  them  to  try  the  limited 
plan  which  had  been  agreed  upon  at  the  meeting  by  the 
gentlemen  just  mentioned,  whether  they  attempted  anything 
else  or  not. 

The  teachers  listened  in  an  interested  manner,  and  many 
of  them  showed  not  only  readiness  but  anxiety  to  undertake 
the  work  it  was  suggested  they  should  do.  The  librarian 
then  invited  them  to  select  some  country  that  they  would 
like  to  have  illustrated  by  means  of  books  belonging  to  the 
library.  They  selected  one,  and  came  to  the  Library  build- 
ing tlie  next  half-holiday  to  listen  to  the  promised  exposi- 
tion. The  librarian  had  before  him,  say,  one  hundred  vol- 
umes relating  to  the  country  in  the  description  of  which  aid 
was  to  be  offered,  and  pointed  out  wherein  the  value  of  each 
one  consisted  to  assist  teachers  and  scholars  in  studying 
geography.  They  saw  at  once  that  valuable  aid  could  be  had 
from   the    Library   in   their   work   of   teaching,   and   the    next 


RKT.ATION  OF  TJP.RAkV  TD  SCIIOOI. 


step  taken  by  the  librarian  was  to  invite  theni  tu  tell  liiin 
what  countries  the  children  were  studying  about  at  that  time, 
and  to  keep  him  informed  in  rej^ard  to  those  they  were  at 
work  upon  at  other  times,  in  order  that  he  miglit  help  them 
to  pick  out  works  suitable  for  school   use. 

Books  were  at  once  selected  for  the  immediate  use  of 
teachers  and  scholars.  The  teachers  needed  books  of  travel 
and  other  works  to  read  themselves,  and  from  which  to  se- 
lect interesting  passages  for  children  to  read  in  the  class  or 
to  be  read  to  them,  and  incidents  to  be  related  to  the  schol- 
ars orally.  Volumes  had  to  be  picked  out,  too,  for  the  chil- 
dren to  use  in  the  place  of  reading-books  of  the  right  size, 
well  printed,  freely  illustrated  with  really  good  wood-cuts 
or  engravings  from  metal,  written  in  good  English  and 
adapted  to  the  ages  of  the  children  to  whom  they  were  to  be 
given,  and  calculated  to  interest  them.  Books  were  also 
selected  that  treated  of  subjects  closely  connected  with  the 
lessons,  for  children  to  read  by  themselves  in  unoccupied 
hours  in  school,  or  for  entertainment  and  improvement  at 
home.  The  Library  arranged  to  issue  two  new  kinds  of 
cards,  one  for  the  benefit  of  teachers,  the  other  to  be  used 
by  teachers  for  the  benefit  of  scholars.  On  cards  of  the  first 
kind  six  books  might  be  drawn  out  by  instructors,  to  be  used 
in  preparing  themselves  for  school  work  or  for  serious  study 
in  any  direction.  On  the  other  kind  of  cards  it  was  permis- 
sible to  take  out  twelve  volumes,  for  the  use  of  scholars 
whose  reading  teachers  had  undertaken  to  supervise.  These 
cards  it  was  supposed  would  be  used  chiefly  for  the  benefit 
of  such  children  as  were  not  entitled  by  age  to  have  one  of 
the  cards  usually  issued  by  the  Library,  or  whose  parents 
had  neglected  or  been  unwilling  to  take  out  cards  for  their 
use.  Teachers  were  invited  to  bring  classes  to  the  Library 
to  look  over  costly  collections  of  photographs  and  engrav- 
ings illustrative  of  the  scenery,  animals,  and  vegetation  of 
ditTerent  countries,  and   of  street  views  in  cities. 

A  few  obstacles  were  met  with.  For  instance,  teachers 
wished,  before  adopting  the  new  methods  in  studying  geog- 
raphy, to  know  whether  examinations  at  the  end  of  the  term 
were  to  be  on  the  text-book  alone.     They  were  assured  by 


54  ^  SAMUEL  S.  GREEN 

the  proper  officers  that,  if  they  adopted  the  system  of  teach- 
ing, examinations  should  be  made  to  conform  to  it.  It  soon 
became  apparent  that  some  of  the  more  enterprising  teachers,, 
by  a  skillful  use  of  the  facilities  afforded  at  the  Library,  got 
more  than  their  proper  proportion  of  the  books  on  a  given 
subject  in  which  there  was  an  interest  felt  in  several  schools 
at  once,  and  kept  books  out  of  the  Library  so  long  as  to 
prevent  other  teachers  from  working  to  advantage.  The 
heads  of  buildings  were  called  together,  and  removed  these 
difficulties  by  making  certain  agreements  satisfactory  to 
themselves  and  the  librarian,  in  regard  to  the  time  the  teach- 
ers in  any  one  building  should  keep  out  books  and  respect- 
ing other  pertinent  matters. 

Soon  a  good  start  in  our  work  was  secured  and  most  of 
the  obstacles  disappeared.  More  duplicates  were  needed  than 
could  be  supplied  at  once,  but  by  consultation  and  careful 
consideration  of  means  at  our  disposal,  this  difficulty  was 
lessened.  It  will  disappear  altogether  in  time,  because,  when 
a  close  connection  is  established  between  schools  and  li- 
braries, the  latter  will  consider  carefully  the  needs  of  the 
former,  and  add  every  year  large  numbers  of  books  on  all 
subjects  taught  in  the  schools,  and  of  works  which  it  is 
wholesome  for  children  to  use  in  home  reading.  As  the 
course  of  studies  in  the  schools  remains  the  same,  or  nearly 
so,  year  by  year,  the  Library  will  soon  have  on  its  shelves 
books  enough  to  supply  adequately  the  needs  of  teachers  and 
scholars. 

One  or  two  general  features  of  the  plan  I  have  de- 
scril)cd  should  l)e  mentioned.  An  earnest  effort  was  made 
to  bring  al)out  intimate  relations  between  the  librarian  and 
teachers,  so  that  the  latter  would  feel  free  to  state  all  their 
wants  and  difficulties,  and  the  librarian  have  an  opportunity 
of  finding  out  whatever  is  faulty  in  his  arrangements  and 
procedure.  Much  has  been  left  to  the  judgment  of  individ- 
ual teachers.  It  is  alM^ays  important  that  this  should  be  done. 
It  seems  doubly  so  in  a  case  such  as  the  present,  where  but 
few  results  of  experience  are  obtainable.  Good  results  have 
followed  the  movement  in  Worcester.  One  hundred  and 
nineteen    teachers    took    out    either   a    teacher's    or   a    pupil's 


RELATION  OF  LIIikARV  TO  SCTIOr)!,  55 

card  during  the  four  months  that  elapsed  after  putting  the 
plans  in  execution  before  the  close  of  the  schools  for  the 
summer  vacation.  Seventy-seven  of  these  teachers  took 
out  both  kinds  of  cards.  All  the  cards  taken  out  have  been 
used  constantly,  and  the  number  of  books  given  out  on  tlu-ni 
had  been  large.  Besides  these,  a  very  large  number  of 
books  had  been  circulated  by  means  of  cards  commonly  used 
in  the  Library,  which  scholars  have  given  up  to  their  teach- 
ers witli  a  request  for  assistance  in  the  selection  of  books 
for  general  reading. 

The  testimony  of  teachers  and  scholars  has  been  uni- 
formly to  the  effect  that  the  use  of  books  from  the  library 
has  added  much  to  the  profitableness  and  interest  of  the 
exercises  in  reading  and  geography.  It  has  been  noticed 
that  scholars  enjoy  reading  from  a  well-illustrated  book  of 
travels  (e.  g.  "Zigzag  Journeys,"  or  Knox's  "Boy  travels 
in  the  East"),  and  that  in  its  use  they  read  understandingly 
and  with  increased  expression.  The  members  of  the  class 
while  not  reading  feel  inclined  to  listen,  and,  when  asked, 
show  ability  to  tell  the  teachers  what  others  have  been 
reading  about.  Scholars  break  oflf  from  the  reading  lesson, 
too,  with  a  desire  for  its  continuance.  Two  ladies  having 
charge  of  a  room  in  one  of  the  grammar-school  buildings 
tell  me  that  they  have  fitted  up  a  dressing-room,  in  which 
they  arrange  on  a  table  illustrated  books  taken  from  the  Li- 
brary, and  that  as  a  reward  for  good  recitations  one  day  they 
allow  scholars  to  go  into  that  room  the  next  day,  a  dozen  or 
so  at  a  time,  to  gather  around  the  table  to  look  at  the  illustra- 
tions and  listen  to  the  teacher's  description  of  countries  il- 
lustrated. These  teachers  say  that  lessons  have  been  much 
better  learned  since  the  adoption  of  this  plan  than  before, 
and  announce  that  they  intend  to  teach  geography  largely 
in  this  way  in  the  future. 

In  doing  the  work  I  have  been  describing,  it  was  hoped 
that,  besides  rendering  study  more  profitable  and  agreeable 
to  children,  they  would  learn,  incidently,  that  there  are  many 
books  which  are  interesting  and  yet  not  story  books.  Teach- 
ers tell  me  this  has  been  the  case.  Two  in  particular  have 
stated  that  boys  who  were  in  the  habit  of  reading  New  York 


56  '^  SAMUEL  S.  GREEN 

story  papers  and  dime  novels  have  gratefully  received  whole- 
some books  recommended  by  them.  The  books  and  papers 
they  had  been  reading  had  been  thrust  on  their  attention. 
They  knew  of  no  others  that  are  interesting. 

One  of  these  teachers  says  that  some  of  the  scholars  re- 
mind her  of  hungry  men,  unable  to  get  nourishing  food,  in 
seizing  upon  anything  they  could  lay  hands  on  to  satisfy 
a  longing  for  reading-matter.  One  of  the  grammar-school 
principals  with  the  aid  of  some  of  his  assistants,  has  done 
a  very  considerable  work  in  influencing  the  reading  of  his 
scholars.  He  has  used  teachers'  and  pupils'  cards  held  in 
the  building  under  his  charge,  and  in  talking  with  the  schol- 
ars has  incited  them  to  ask  him  to  take  possession  of  their 
cards  and  help  them  pick  out  books.  Two  of  his  assistants 
have  made  it  a  part  of  their  work  to  consult  the  catalogues 
of  the  Library  and  printed  and  manuscript  lists  of  books 
which  the  librarian  placed  in  their  hands,  and  in  the  use  of 
these  facilities  and  by  the  aid  of  the  librarian  to  select  large 
numbers  of  books  for  the  use  of  scholars.  This  principal 
sends  to  the  Library  cards  for  fifty  books  at  a  time.  The 
books  are  taken  to  the  school  and  put  in  the  charge  of  one 
of  the  scholars  who  has  been  made  librarian.  They  are 
looked  over  by  the  teachers,  and  some  volumes  are  retained 
by  them  to  be  used  in  the  reading  exercise  or  for  silent  read- 
ing in  connection  with  the  lessons.  Most  of  the  books,  how- 
ever, the  scholars  are  allowed  to  examine  freely,  with  the 
object  of  selecting  from  them  such  as  they  find  interesting 
to  take  away  from  the  building  to  read  at  home.  It  has 
seemed  to  me  that  this  grammar-school  instructor  and  his 
assistants  are  doing  a  very  important  work  for  the  benefit 
of  the   community. 

Tn  doing  this  kind  of  work  a  special  catalogue  of,  say, 
2,000  volumes  is  very  much  needed.  Such  lists  of  books  which 
have  been  issued  in  Boston  and  elsewhere  for  use  in  schools 
as  have  come  under  my  notice  are  inadequate.  They  are 
made  up  in  altogether  too  large  a  proportion  of  books  which, 
however  excellent  in  themselves,  are  only  adapted  to  the 
capacity  of  mature  pupils.  Sufficient  care  is  not  taken  in  them 
to  designate  the  age  of  children  for  which  particular  books 


REr.ATlON  OF  LIBRARY  TO  SCIICJOI,  57 

are  designed.  What  is  wanted  especially  is  a  selection  of 
books  for  children  between  the  ages  of  eleven  and  fifteen, 
every  one  of  which  is  known  from  actual  perusal  by  compe- 
tent persons  to  be  really  a  good  book,  and  one  adapted  to  the 
capacity  of  young  folks.  I  have  recently  made  some  efforts 
to  have  such  a  catalogue  prepared,  and  I  am  happy  to  be  able 
to  state  that  several  ladies  in  Boston  who  are  very  familiar 
with  this  kind  of  work,  and  the  value  of  whose  labors  has 
already  l)ccn  thoroughly  tested,  are  now  engaged  preparing 
such  a  list.  I  hope  this  can  be  published  in  the  course  of  a 
few  months.  It  is  intended  to  use  notes  to  show  what  the 
contents  of  a  book  are  wdien  its  title  does  not  indicate  them. 
Meanwhile,  I  can  only  refer  teachers  to  such  sources  of 
information  as  I  mentioned  in  an  essay  on  "Sensational  Fic- 
tion," read  before  the  American  Library  Association  at  its 
meeting  in  the  summer  of  1879  (and  published  subsequently 
in  the  Library  Journal  and  privately  printed  in  pamphlet 
form),  and  to  librarians  and  other  persons  who  may  be  sup- 
posed to  have  special  information  regarding  books. 

Among  ways  not  before  mentioned  in  which  the  teachers 
of  grammar  and  lower  grades  of  schools  have  used  the  li- 
brary are  the  following:  Some  have  requested  every  mem- 
ber of  a  class  to  go  to  the  library  to  get  information  about 
some  of  the  mountains,  water-falls,  or  mineral  springs  of  the 
United  States,  or  about  other  specified  objects  to  be  em- 
l)odied  afterward  in  short  compositions.  One  teacher  has 
adopted  a  plan  which  as  I  have  stated,  is  in  use  in  the  high 
school,  and  had  brought  a  class  of  children  to  the  Library 
building  to  look  at  costly  representations  of  the  scenery, 
occupations,  buildings,  costumes,  etc.,  found  in  China  and 
japan.  It  is  customary  with  some  teachers,  when  the  schol- 
ars are  studying  American  history,  to  procure  from  the  Li- 
brary the  current  lessons,  to  lend  to  pupils  to  use  in  the 
evenings  in  acquiring  a  more  extended  knowledge  of  inci- 
dents treated  of  only  briefly  in  the  portion  of  the  text  book 
studied  during  any  particular  day.  One  teacher,  whose 
school  is  situated  at  a  distance  from  the  library  building, 
asked  a  wealthy  citizen  to  buy  for  the  school  a  hundred  or 
more  of  tlie  books  which  she  most  needed  in  her  work.     He 


58  ^  SAMUEL  S.  GREEN 

complied  with  her  request  at  once,  and  after  several  con- 
sultations with  the  librarian  she  made  an  admirable  selection 
of  books,  which  were  bought  for  her  at  low  rates  at  which 
librarians  make  purchases. 

Even  in  lower  grades  of  schools  than  the  seventh,  con- 
siderable assistance  may  be  afforded  teachers  when  towns 
are  enlightened  enough  to  spend  money  in  providing  in  their 
libraries  books  adapted  to  little  children,  as  well  as  those 
suited  to  older  boys  and  girls  and  persons  who  have  grown 
up.  Several  of  them  have  found  such  books  as  "Tiny's  Nat- 
ural History  in  words  of  four  letters,"  by  A.  L.  Bond,  and 
bound  volumes  of  the  Nursery,  as  well  as  stories  such  as 
those  in  Aliss  Edgeworth's  "Parent's  Assistant"  and  "Grimm's 
Fairy  Tales,"  very  useful  in  doing  school  work. 

ValuabJe  suggestions  in  regard  to  work  that  may  be  done 
by  the  co-operation  of  schools  and  libraries  are  to  be  found 
in  a  paper  read  by  Mr.  William  E.  Foster,  librarian  of  the 
Providence  Public  Library,  before  Rhode  Island  Institute 
of  Instruction  last  January,  and  recently  published  by  the 
institute  in  a  pamphlet  with  two  other  papers. 

Of  teachers  in  Boston  who  have  used  the  Public  Library 
in  that  city  in  connection  with  the  school  work,  the  one 
whose  use  is  oftenest  mentioned  is  Mr.  Robert  C.  Metcalf, 
master  of  the  Wells  Grammar  School  for  girls.  Unless  I 
misunderstand  a  recent  utterance  of  Mr.  Metcalf,  there  is 
only  one  kind  of  work  that  he  has  found  it  feasible  to  do  in 
connection  with  the  Public  Library — namely,  that  of  teach- 
ing children  to  read  attentively  and  with  comprehension  of 
what  they  are  reading.  He  sends  to  the  library  for,  say, 
twenty  copies  of  some  publication  as  Towle's  "Pizarro,"  or 
one  of  the  longest  poems  of  Longfellow,  has  every  member 
of  the  class  read  the  book  selected  very  carefully,  a  portion 
at  a  time,  and  sets  times  when  he  will  examine  them  on  the 
parts  of  a  book  assigned  for  reading,  to  see  whether  they 
know  just  what  the  author  has  written,  and  have  studied  its 
characteristics   in   expression. 

This  is  an  excellent  exercise.  Valuable  aid  in  conduct- 
ing it  may  be  found  in   School   Documents   Nos.   17  and  29, 


r 


RELATION  OF  LIBRARY  TO  SCHOOL  5q 


1877,  and  21,  1878,  issued  by  the  supervisors  of  scliools  in 
Boston.  If  an  additional  evidence  of  the  need  of  it  is  de- 
sired, it  may  be  found  in  the  record  of  the  results  of  an  ex- 
amination of  the  schools  in  Norfolk  county,  Massachusetts, 
printed  in  the  last  report  of  the  Massachusetts  Board  of  Ed- 
ucation. It  is  a  matter  of  consideration,  however,  whether 
it  is  the  province  of  a  public  library  to  supply  books  needed 
for  this  exercise.  Judge  Chamberlain,  the  librarian  of  the 
Boston  Public  Library,  gives  reasons  in  his  last  annual  re- 
port why  they  should  be  furnished  by  the  library.  On  the 
other  hand,  it  may  be  said  that  schools  with  intelligence 
supply  collateral  reading  to  teachers,  and  that  it  is  quite  m 
the  line  of  this  undertaking  to  furnish  books  needed  for  the 
kind  of  w^ork  done  by  Mr.  Metcalf.  There  should  be  no 
quarrel  over  this  matter.  Teachers  should  have  the  books 
needed  in  doing  work  of  this  kind,  whatever  may  be  the 
method  it  is  thought  wise  to  adopt  in  supplying  them  in  any 
given  town;  whether  it  seems  best  to  have  them  provided  by 
the  public  library  or  by  the  school  committee,  or  to  have 
them  bought  with  money  secured  by  subscription.  Numer- 
ous duplicates  of  but  a  few  books  are  needed,  since  a  work, 
after  being  studied  in  one  school,  can  be  passed  along  to  the 
other  schools  of  the  same  grade  to  be  studied  in  them,  and 
good  books,  suitable  for  the  purpose  mentioned,  are  pub- 
lished at  the  Clarendon  press  and  by  American  publishers 
at  a  ver}'  low  price.  There  is  a  way  too,  in  which  some  of 
the  advantages  of  this  kind  of  work  can  be  secured  by  aid 
usually  afiforded  by  libraries — namely,  by  dividing  a  class  in- 
to groups  of  four  or  five  members,  and  giving  to  the  scholars 
in  each  group  a  separate  book  to  examine.  Books  and  mag- 
azine articles  could  be  chosen  that  children  have  ready  access 
to  at  home  as  well  as  in  the  libraries.  Some  pupils  would  be 
willing  to  buy  copies  of  inexpensive  books.  That  such  a  plan 
as  this  has  been  followed  with  success,  in  one  case,  at  least, 
is  shown  in  an  article  entitled  "The  weekly  'reading-hour' 
in  a  Providence  (R.  I.)  school,"  published  in  the  New  Eng- 
land Journal  for  February  19,  1880. 

Is   it   practicable   to    do   in    large   cities    the   work   which    it 
has  been  shown  has  been  well  begun  in  a  city  of  58,000  in- 


6o  SAMUEL  S.  GREEN 

habitants?  It  seems  to  me  easy  to  do  it  there.  But  how  could 
we  deal  with  the  masses  of  men,  women  and  children,  who 
under  the  plan  proposed,  would  use  libraries  for  purposes 
of  reference  in  large  cities?  Would  not  the  numbers  of  ap- 
plicants for  information  be  so  great  as  to  forbid  much  con- 
sultation between  officers  of  libraries,  and  students  and 
readers?  No.  In  doing  this  kind  of  work,  deal  with  in- 
quirers in  the  branch  libraries  as  well  as  the  central  building. 

The  large  cities  of  England  and  America  have  found 
themselves  best  able  to  fulfill  their  functions  in  the  commun- 
ity by  establishing  numerous  branch  libraries,  in  a  circle 
around  the  central  library,  in  different  sections  of  the  terri- 
tory which  they  cover.  A  considerable  portion  of  the  books 
in  the  branch  libraries  should  be  selected  with  especial  ref- 
erjnce  to  the  needs  of  teachers  and  scholars.  Persons  should 
be  placed  at  their  head  who  have  been  chosen  because,  among 
other  qualifications,  they  have  the  ability  to  render  assistance 
in  the  commoner  fields  of  investigation  to  ordinary  inquirers. 
Large  collections  of  books  are  not  needed  in  doing  work  in 
connection  with  schools.  Small  branch  librarie's  selected 
with  regard  to  their  wants,  when  supplemented  by  the  re- 
sources of  the  collection  in  the  main  building,  are  adequate. 
In  furtherance  of  the  work  of  rendering  assistance  to  in- 
quirers among  scholars  and  teachers,  there  should  be  at  the 
central  library  some  man  of  large  general  acquaintance  with 
books  and  of  zeal  for  the  dissemination  of  knowledge,  to 
whom  teachers  and  others  in  search  of  information  may  give 
ready  access  when  in  search  of  knowledge,  regarding  any 
subject  they  are  interested  in.  He  should  have  as  many  as- 
sistants as  are  necessary  to  meet  the  demands  of  the  in- 
quirers. 

With  such  a  head  and  a  sufficient  number  of  assistants 
in  the  central  library,  and  with  competent  heads  of  branches, 
it  is  perfectly  feasible  to  do  this  kind  of  work  in  connection 
with  schools.  Ordinary  applications  for  information  would 
be  met  at  the  branches,  and  difficult  questions  would  have  to 
be  answered  at  the  central  library  by  the  presentation  of  the 
inquirer  there  in  person,  or  by  conversation  through  tele- 
phones connecting  branches  with  the  principal  building.    Nor 


RELATION  OF  LIBRARY  TO  SriK)r)L  6i 

need  such  service  be  very  expensive.  The  officer  havinp 
charge  of  this  kind  of  work  should  be  a  cultivated  man  of 
somewhat  exceptional  qualifications,  whose  abilities  and  at- 
tainments command  compensation  ec|ual,  say,  to  the  principal 
of  the  high  school.  It  is  easy,  I  know  from  experience,  to 
train  intelligent  women  who  have  had  only  a  high  school 
education,  but  who  have  some  interest  in  books,  and  pleas- 
ant manners,  to  do  the  ordinary  work  required  in  pointing  out 
sources  of  information.  Questions  of  teachers  and  scholars 
recur  and  having  once  been  answered  by  the  chief,  can  be 
answered  afterwards  by  the  assistant. 

It  seems  to  me  practicable  to  do  even  more  of  this  kind 
of  work  in  large  cities,  and  to  be  perfectly  feasible  to  invite 
the  public  generally  to  come  to  public  libraries,  every  person 
with  any  question  he  may  wish  to  ask,  that  books  will  an- 
swer, for  the  purpose  of  having  the  best  source  of  informa- 
tion adapted  to  his  needs  and  capacity  pointed  out  to  him 
and  placed  in  his  hands.  The  number  of  inquirers  will  not 
be  so  great  as  to  become  unmanageable  and  swamp  the 
facilities  of  the  libraries,  but  it  will  be  large,  and,  increasing 
gradually,  will  have  to  be  met  by  a  gradually  increasing  force 
of  assistants.  I  make  these  statements  of  my  convictions 
after  careful  consideration  of  the  subject,  and  after  ten  years 
of  experience  in  conducting  a  library,  with  no  mean  success, 
on  the  plan  recommended.  The  aim,  bear  in  mind,  is  not 
to  provide  information  to  specialists,  but  to  help  people 
generally  to  get  answers  to  questions  which  they  feel  in- 
terested in  having  answered, 

I  see  no  reason  why,  in  doing  this  kind  of  work,  a  li- 
brary in  a  large  place  could  not,  with  very  little  difficulty, 
get  great  assistance  from  gentlemen  outside  of  the  corps  of 
officers.  Take  Boston  as  an  example.  How  easy  it  would  be 
to  interest  a  large  number  of  the  professors  in  the  colleges 
and  other  educational  institutions  in  and  near  the  city,  and 
specialists  in  different  departments  of  knowledge  in  profes- 
sional life  or  leading  a  life  of  study  in  comparative  leisure, 
to  allow  questions  to  be  put  to  them  occasionally  in  regard 
to  what  book  or  books  should  be  given  to  an  inquirer,  when 
the  general  knowledge  of  the  officers  of  the  library,  with  bib- 


62  SAMUEL  S.  GREEN 

liographies  at  their  command,  fails.  Treat  these  gentlemen 
as  men  to  whom  you  are  indebted,  and  afford  them  gracious- 
ly every  privilege  that  can  possibly  be  granted  to  students, 
and  let  them  feel  that  they  are  an  important  factor  in  the 
management  of  the  library,  and  I  am  sure  that,  leaving  out 
the  very  selfish  men  who  are  found  among  scholars  as  well 
as  men  in  other  occupations  than  study,  a  large  corps  of 
voluntary  assistants  could  be  found  ready  to  render  the  small 
amount  of  gratuitous  service  needed  of  them,  in  considera- 
tion of  the  consciousness  that  they  were  conferring  a  public 
benefit.  Of  course  tact  would  have  to  be  used  at  the  library, 
and  no  unnecessary  labor  should  be  without  expense  to  them. 
The  large  libraries  need  and  can  have  more  co-operation  in 
the  selection  of  books  and  in  the  dissemination  of  knowledge. 
Are  there  not  numbers  of  young  specialists  in  large  cities. 
and  men  of  maturer  years,  who  would  delight  to  co-operate 
with  the  officers  of  a  great  library  in  making  the  institution 
an  exchange  for  information,  a  great  educational  institution,  a 
university  for  the  people?  Would  not  scholars  at  a  distance 
allow  themselves  to  be  consulted  occasionally  for  the  bene- 
fit of  inquirers,  in  consideration  of  the  privilege  of  occasion- 
ally asking  themselves  to  have  little  investigations  made,  and 
in  return  for  infrequent  loans  of  books. 

One  word  in  regard  to  libraries  in  small  towns,  and  I 
close.  In  such  places,  persons  interested  in  the  schools  are 
likely  to  feel  an  interest  in  the  town  library,  and  to  be  offi- 
cially connected  with  it.  School-committee  men  and  teach- 
ers in  small  towns  should  see  to  it  that  a  portion  of  the  money 
appropriated  in  town  meeting  for  the  use  of  the  library,  is 
spent  for  books  that  teachers  and  scholars  need  to  consult 
and   use. 


LIBRARIES  AS  RELATED  TO  THE  EDUCA- 
TIONAL WORK  OF  THE  STATE* 

Next  we  have  the  presentation  of  this  new  educational 
evangel  before  a  body  of  eminent  educators,  in  an  ad- 
dress by  INIelvil  Dewey,  then  director  of  the  Columbia 
College  School  of  Library  Economy,  before  the  Convo- 
cation of  the  University  of  the  State  of  New  York,  at 
Albany  in  July,  1888. 

Melvil  Dewey  was  born  in  Adams  Center,  N.  Y.,  in 
1851  and  graduated  from  Amherst  in  1874.  He  entered 
the  library  profession  at  once  as  acting  librarian  of  his 
college,  founded  the  Library  Bureau  in  1876,  and  in  1883 
became  librarian  of  Columbia  L^niversity,  N.  Y.,  where 
he  founded  the  earliest  library  school  in  the  world,  re- 
moving it  with  him  to  Albany,  N.  Y.,  on  his  acceptance 
of  the  directorship  of  the  State  Library  there  in  1888. 
He  resigned  in  1906  and  has  since  devoted  himself  to 
the  development  and  extension  of  the  Lake  Placid  Gub 
in  the  Adirondacks,  which  he  founded  in  1895.  Dr.  Dewey 
is  known  throughout  the  world  as  the  author  of  the  sys- 
tem of  decimal  classification  that  bears  his  name.  He 
has  a  fertile  mind  and  a  cogent  manner  of  presenting  his 
views.  The  modern  progressive  movement  in  library 
work  probably  owes  more  to  his  influence,  as  an  impulsive 
force,  than  to  that  of  any  other  one  person.  He  served 
as  President  of  the  A.  L.  A.  in  1890- '91  and  again  in 
1892-'93. 


*The   spelling   of   words   in    the   address   is     that    used    bj-    the 
author. 


64  MELVIL  DEWEY 

There  runs  a  tradition  of  our  craft  "the  librarian  who 
reads  is  lost."  Who  writes  is  indeed  without  hope.  How 
grave  his  case  who  tries  to  make  a  speech!  The  modern  libra- 
rian is  too  crowded  with  daily  work  to  bring  you  carefully 
rounded  periods  or  polisht  sentences.  He  is  content  if  able  to 
make  his  meaning  clear  and  lodge  the  tho't  of  his  mind  in 
yours. 

You  listen  from  year  to  year  to  special  pleaders.  Each 
man,  as  a  rule,  tries  to  magnify  his  office,  and  demonstrate 
that  the  topic  in  which  he  feels  special  interest  is  clearly  first 
in  importance.  He  pleads  for  vocal  music,  elementary  sci- 
ence, hygiene,  gymnastics,  ethics,  manual  training,  civil  gov- 
ernment, drawing.  We  ar  convinced  of  the  value  of  every 
one,  but  alas,  the  list  of  necessary  studies  is  like  art,  long, 
and  school  life  is  for  most  of  us  pathetically  short.  We  ar 
forced  mentally  to  "brace  against"  the  carefully  prepared 
points  of  the  advocate.  For  three  reasons  I  ask  you  to-day 
to  follow  me  without  this  customary  "bracing"  against  ex- 
treme views. 

1.  I  do  not  magnify  my  office  because  it  is  mine,  but 
rather  hav  chosen  it  as  a  life  work  because  unable  to  escape 
the  conviction  of  its  superlativ  importance  to  education. 

2.  I  cum  to  you  without  carefully  prepared  arguments, 
and  ask  you  simply  to  answer  to  your  own  minds  my  plain 
but  vital  questions. 

3.  Most  important,  the  action  to  which  I  seek  to  lead 
you,  insted  of  taking  more  time,  means  relief  to  your  over- 
crowded curriculums. 

What  I  propose,  you  wil  see  is  no  entangling  alliance, 
but  rather  is  annexing  a  continent.  Wer  there  time,  I  should 
speak  of  the  admirabl  work  that  has  been  going  on  in  both 
east  and  west  for  the  last  five  years  between  the  schools  and 
libraries.  This  has  met  with  harty  recognition,  has  been 
often  described  in  print,  and  is  making  its  way  rapidly  thru 
the  cuntry.  But  this  is  only  the  introduction  to  that  deeper 
relation  and  recognition  which  is  in  the  immediate  future. 

THE     MODKRN     LIRRARY 

And  let  me  remind  you  before  we  begin  that  the  library 
for  which  1  speak  is  one  which  few  of  us  hav  seen,  except  in 


LIBRARIES  AND  EDUCATION  65 

promis.  It  is  a  library  at  present  in  its  infancy.  Remember 
your  own  history.  "Schools"  wer  old  when  Paul  sat  at 
the  feet  of  Gamaliel  and  the  quick-witted  Greeks  hung  on 
the  words  of  their  teachers  in  the  Academy,  Lyceum,  and 
the  Porch.  But  "schools"  like  those  of  which  this  Convo- 
cation is  the  crown  ar  yung.  When  in  this  discussion  we 
speak  of  libraries,  picture  that  ideal  which  I  wil  briefly 
sketch.  Go  back  neither  to  the  storied  bricks  and  slabs  of 
Nineveh  and  Babylon,  nor  to  the  myriad  mss.  of  mighty 
Alexandria,  nor,  cuming  to  our  own  time,  to  those  institu- 
tions which  in  our  library  evolution  correspond  to  Squeers 
and  Dotheboys  Hall.  We  hav  many  libraries  stil  which 
hav  naught  in  common  with  our  ideal,  except  books  and  the 
name;  many  that  seem  stil  carefully  administerd  for  the 
least  good  to  the  smallest  possibl  number.  Our  evolution 
cums  after  yours.  We  ar  not  so  far  advanced.  Barely  a 
generation  ago  the  harmless  incompetent,  fit  for  nothing 
else,  was  set  to  teach  school.  But  in  their  dignity  and 
strength  most  schools  hav  now  crowded  out  the  incompe- 
tents. The  libraries  ar  following,  and  already  the  idea  is 
giving  way  that  men  and  women,  who  fail  in  everything  else 
and  can  get  neither  church  nor  school,  patients  nor  clients, 
ar  just  the  ones  for  librarians.  Glance  with  me  a  moment  at 
a  sampl  of  the  old  library  and  the  new. 

The  old  was  located  in  an  out-of-the-way  street,  specially 
inconvenient  to  the  majority  who  might  want  it;  the  bilding 
was  unattractiv,  dark,  damp,  cold,  unventilated  and  ingeni- 
ously inconvenient;  many  of  the  books  wer  on  shelves  so 
high  as  to  require  a  ladder,  wer  covered  with  dust,  in  shabby 
bindings,  protected  often  with  shabbier  paper  cuvers,  soild, 
torn  and  in  general  discouraged  in  appearance;  unused  pub- 
lic documents,  old  school-books,  etc.,  nearest  the  door;  the 
more  attractiv  works  in  the  attic  or  cellar;  the  shelves  un- 
labeld;  the  books  without  numbers  on  the  back  and  possibly 
with  none  inside,  and  put  on  the  shelvs  haphazard  as  they 
had  cum  in,  or  in  a  classification  so  coarse  that  a  reader  seek- 
ing matter  on  a  minute  topic  might  require  a  week  to  look 
over  the  disorganized  mass  of  literature  in  which  he  may, 
or  may  not  find  sumthing  that  he  wishes;   its  catalogs  and 


66  ^  MELVIL  DEWEY 

indexes  wcr  chiefly  conspicuous  by  their  absence,  or  wcr 
so  meager,  unreliabl,  and  so  destitute  of  clear  grouping  that 
the  only  way  to  find  what  was  wanted  was  to  read  the  whole 
catalog.  The  library  was  open  an  hour  or  two  now  and  then, 
and  closed  evenings,  holidays  and  vacations,  for  annual 
cleaning  or  for  almost  any  excuse — on  busy  days,  because 
no  one  had  time  to  cum;  on  holidays,  because  the  librarians 
also  wanted  those  days  for  rest.  Finally  and  most  important 
the  old  type  of  librarian  was  a  crabbed  and  unsympathetic 
fossil  who  did  what  he  was  forced  to  do  with  an  air  that 
said  plainly  he  wisht  you  had  not  cum,  and  a  reader  among 
his  books  was  as  unwelcum  as  the  proverbial  poor  relation 
on  a  long  visit.  It  is  a  sorry  picture  but  by  no  means 
wholly  fanciful.  In  many  places  those  who  knew  would 
pronounce  it  a  study  from  life. 

Contrast  all  this  with  the  library  as  it  should  be  and  in 
many  cases  wil  be.  Placed  centrally  where  it  is  most  ac- 
cessibl  to  its  readers;  the  bilding  and  rooms  attractiv,  bright 
and  thoroly  ventilated,  lighted  and  warmd,  and  finisht  and 
fitted  to  meet  as  fully  as  possibl  all  reasonabl  demands  of 
its  readers;  the  books  all  within  reach,  clean  and  in  repair; 
those  oftenest  needed  nearest  the  delivery  desk,  labled  and 
numberd;  arranged  on  the  shelvs  so  that  each  reader  may 
see  together  the  resources  of  the  librar}-^  on  the  topic  which 
he  wishes  to  examin,  kept  constantly  redy  for  inspection; 
with  simpl  and  complete  indexes  and  catalogs  to  tel  almost 
instantly  if  any  book  or  pamflet  wisht  is  in  the  bilding;  open 
day  and  evening  thruout  the  year  and  in  charge  of  librarians 
as  pleasd  to  see  a  reader  cum  to  ask  for  books  or  assistance 
as  a  merchant  to  welcum  a  new  customer;  anxious  to  giv 
as  far  as  possibl  to  each  applicant  at  each  visit  that  book 
which  wil  then,  and  to  him,  be  most  helpful. 

These  ar  the  facts.  The  old  library  was  passiv,  asleep,  a 
reservoir  or  cistern,  getting  in  but  not  giving  out,  an  arsenal 
in  time  of  peace;  the  librarian  a  sentinel  before  the  doors, 
a  jailer  to  gard  against  the  escape  of  unfortunates  under 
his  care.  The  new  library  is  activ,  an  aggressiv,  educating 
jForce  in  the  community,  a  living  fountain  of  good  influences, 


I 


LIBRARIES  AND  EDUCATION  67 

an  army  in  the  field  with  all  guns  limbered;  and  the  librarian 
occupies  a  field  of  activ  usefulness  second  to  none. 

We  wil  speak  then  of  the  relation  of  schools  and  li- 
braries as  they  ought  to  be,  not  of  the  failures  of  the  past. 

THE     school's      necessary     COMPLEMENT 

It  takes  the  world  a  great  while  to  lern  what  seem  after- 
ward very  simpl  lessons.'  A  happy  tho't  sumtimes  revolu- 
tionizes the  common  practices  of  centuries.  It  cums  out  as 
clear  as  lightning  in  the  darkness  and  the  world  recognizes 
and  accepts  it,  as  witness  the  telegraf  and  telefone  and  other 
modern  miracles.  But  sumtimes  the  new  idea  crystalizes  so 
slowly  that  it  seems  like  a  geological  formation.  But 
whether  with  swiftness  of  light  or  slowness  of  granit  the 
world   moves   stedily   forward. 

I  suppose  the  man  who  first  proposed  attaching  a  wagon 
to  the  horse  and  making  him  draw  that  as  wel  as  his  load, 
was  voted  as  great  a  visionary  as  the  modern  flying  machin- 
ist. But  when  on  a  smooth  road  he  proved  that  the  same 
horse  could  draw  ten  times  as  much  as  he  had  carried,  why 
the  wise  old  world  said,  "the  man  is  right.  Go  to  now,  let 
us  bild  ourselves  wagons."  But  the  obstructionist  (the  dear, 
dredful,  omnipresent  old  fossil  was  surely  there)  said,  "In 
spite  of  his  proof,  the  wagons  ar  useless  for  they  cannot 
run  on  our  bridle  paths."  And  there  was  truth,  as  there 
often  is,  in  the  obstructor's  position.  But  the  world  that 
bilt  the  wagons  has  bilt  the  roads.  And  when  we  remember 
that  the  bilders  hav  gone  on  to  cross  the  continent  with 
roads  of  iron  and  wer  not  dismayd  at  the  great  span  of  the 
Hudson  at  our  feet,  or  at  the  huge  Hoosac  bulk  we  can  al- 
most see  beyond  the  other  shore,  you  wil  hardly  think  the 
task  too  great  to  bild  the  road  of  which  I  am  to  give  you  a 
bird's  eye  view  to-day. 

If  you  wil  follow  me  you  wil  recognize  that  our  schools 
can  do  but  a  fraction  of  their  woi'k  without  the  libraries. 
The}'  ar  horses  without  wagons,  engins  without  cars,  canals 
without  boats  except  such  skifs  and  scows  and  rafts  as 
chance  may  throw  upon  their  waters.  We  must  hav  proper 
carriages  as  wel  as  motiv  power,  and  then  must  make  suit- 
abl  provision  for  broad  and  straight  and  level  roads. 


68  -  MELVIL  DEWEY 

THE  REAL  GATE  TO  THE  SOUL 

We  ar  spending  our  time  and  money  with  a  freedom 
of  which  all  the  world  is  proud,  to  giv  our  youth  in  our  pub- 
lic schools  not  much  information  or  culture,  but  only  the 
simplest  tools  which  if  rightly  used  wil  enabl  them  to  edu- 
cate themselvs  by  reading. 

Of  old  it  was  only  the  lerned  few  who  could  read;  most 
of  the  world  wer  limited  to"  conversation:  Now,  we  ar  told 
this  is  an  art  more  rare  than  music,  and  only  the  educated 
few  ar  able  to  converse;  but,  except  illiterates,  everybody 
reads.  Less  and  less  from  living  voice,  from  pulpit  or 
rostrum,  and  more  and  more  from  printed  page,  ar  peopl 
getting  their  ideas  and  ideals,  their  motivs  and  inspiration. 
The  mass  of  knowledge  credited  to  nature  and  observation 
cums  most  of  it,  not  directly,  but  thru  print.  The  eye,  not 
the  ear,  is  the  great  gate  to  the  soul.  The  town  crier  no 
longer  rings  his  bel  and  shouts  his  message  thru  the  streets. 
Even  if  told  orally,  most  readers  wish  to  see  "how  it  looks 
in  print"  as  an  average  English  reader  of  French  wishes  to 
see  rather  than  hear  the  words.  All  that  is  worth  knowing 
soon  gets  into  type.     What  a  boon  if  such  only  wer  printed! 

As  we  study  the  question,  it  becums  clear  that  the  diffi- 
culty and  expense  of  reaching  the  peopl  by  the  voice,  and 
the  cheapness  and  permanence  of  print  make  it  necessary, 
if  we  ar  to  educate  and  elevate  the  masses  and  make  their 
lives  better  worth  living,  that  we  should  in  sum  way  put  in 
their  hands  the  best  reading.  I  say  best,  for  reading  is  not 
necessarily  good  or  elevating,  tho  it  certainly  averages  much 
higher  than  conversation,  because  much  greater  care  is  taken 
in  its  preparation.  Labor  and  cost  bring  into  activity  the 
law  of  survival  of  the  fittest.  But  if  good  books  average 
higher  than  good  conversation  bad  books  ar  more  powerful 
for  evil;  for  when  ideas  good  or  bad  get  into  book  form  they 
ar  apt  to  becum  vastly  more  potent.  We  hav  thus  a  dubl 
reason  for  our  missionary  work;  to  give  good  reading  for 
its  own  sake  and  also  as  the  best  means  to  drive  out  and 
keep  out  bad.  To  teach  the  masses  to  read  and  then  turn 
iheni  out  in  orly  youth  with  this  power  and  no  guiding  in- 
fluence,    is     only    to    invite    the     catastrofe.      Human     fashion 


LTP.RARTKS  AND  KDUCATIDN  60 

they  ar  quite  as  likely  to  get  bad  as  good.  The  down  hil 
road  is  ever  easiest  to  travel.  The  world  agrees  that  it  is 
unwise  to  give  sharp  tools  or  powerful  weapons  to  tiie 
masses  without  sum  assurance  of  how  they  are  to  be  used. 
Even  George  Washington  got  into  mischief  with  his  first 
hatchet. 

THE    BOOK    MIRACLE 

The  children  of  another  generation  wil  see  nothing 
specially  wonderful  about  the  telefone  or  electric  light.  So 
we,  born  to  constant  sight  and  use  of  books,  seldom  stop  to 
think  what  a  miracl  they  ar.  As  distinguisht  from  the  brute 
the  savage  has  the  divine  gift  of  speech.  And  when  we 
think  that  the  vibrations  of  the  air  started  by  the  vocal 
chords  convey  to  another  the  workings  of  the  human  soul, 
we  no  longer  wonder  that  speech  has  been  lookt  on  as  the 
direct  gift  of  the  Almighty,  a  power  too  wonderful  to  hav 
been  invented  by  man.  And  when,  a  step  higher,  the  image 
of  his  Maker  discovered  the  art  of  writing,  and  lernd  to 
make  spoken  words  permanent  on  wood  or  stone  or  clay, 
we  do  not  wonder  that  the  savage  worshipt  the  chip  that 
could  talk  or  the  bit  of  paper  that  unaided  made  a  complete 
communication.  Has  there  been  anything  in  the  world's 
history  so  wonderful  as  a  modern  book? 

And  remember  that  of  late  years  the  printing  press  has 
calld  to  its  aid  grafic  methods,  color,  form,  the  curvs  and 
coordinates  of  geometry,  and  the  many  fotographic  proc- 
esses, so  that  in  many  cases  the  book  makes  the  author's 
meaning  clearer  and  more  easil}'  understood  than  would  be 
possible  for  a  score  of  authors  with  the  living  voice.  In 
proof  of  this  consult  sum  recent  statistical  atlas  or  the  pro- 
fusely illustrated  volumes  in  science.  Or  take  this  very 
point  of  illiteracy: — here  is  a  map  on  which  is  indicated  by 
darkness  of  shading  the  amount  of  illiteracy  in  each  section. 
Or  to  be  more  exact,  here  is  a  page  with  the  list  of  all  the 
states  at  the  left,  followd  by  colums  representing  each 
decade  of  this  century,  with  the  dates  at  the  top  of  the  page. 
Running  across  this  page,  opposite  each  state,  is  a  curved 
line  indicating  by  its  hight  above  the  ruling,  the  percentage 
in   that  state   that  cannot  write;   for  each   year   the   rise   and 


70  MELVTT.  DEWEY 

fall  of  the  lines  show  the  fluctuations  grafically.  A  similar 
line  in  red  opposit  the  same  state  in  the  same  way  shows 
the  percentage  that  cannot  read.  Thus  on  this  single  page, 
at  a  glance,  is  told  with  geometrical  accuracy,  conveying  to 
the  mind  a  clearer  idea  than  would  figures  (in  sum  such 
charts,  indeed,  the  figures  ar  also  inserted),  the  amount  of 
illiteracy  for  the  whole  country;  or  for  any  givn  year,  by 
reading  down  the  proper  colum;  or  by  reading  across,  the 
condition  of  any  givn  state  during  the  whole  century;  or, 
by  consulting  the  intersections  of  these  colums  as  on  a 
railroad  time  table,  the  condition  of  any  place,  at  any  time. 
No  amount  of  oral  statement  could  begin  to  give  so  clear 
an  idea  as  a  few  minutes'  study  of  these  two  pages.  Similar 
methods  ar  being  applied  to  almost  every  subject  of  human 
interest.  Recent  fotografic  processes  hav  made  exact  pic- 
tures and  all  kinds  of  illustrations  so  cheap  that  a  modern  book, 
as  compared  with  those  of  last  century,  is  like  a  modern  lecture 
on  science  in  which  every  point  is  illustrated  by  experiments 
performed  before  the  listener  or  by  mere  oral  statement 
which,  however  skillful  the  word  painting  itself  and  however 
clearly  defined  in  the  mind  of  the  speaker  wer  all  the  ideas 
of  objects  referd  to,  simply  could  not  reproduce  them  as 
clearly  in  the  mind  of  the  listener. 

Emerson  says:  "Consider  what  you  hav  in  the  smallest 
chosen  library.  A  company  of  the  wisest  and  wittiest  men 
that  could  be  pickt  out  of  all  civil  countries,  in  a  thousand 
years,  have  set  in  best  order  the  results  of  their  learning  and 
wisdom.  The  men  themselves  wer  hid  and  inaccessibl,  soli- 
tary, impatient  of  interruption,  fenced  by  etiquet;  but  the 
tho't  which  they  did  not  uncover  to  their  bosom. frend  is  here 
writn  out  to  us,  the  strangers  of  another  age." 

And  his  friend  Carlyle  adds: 

"Of  the  things  which  man  can  do  or  make  here  below, 
by  far  the  most  momentous,  wonderful,  and  worthy,  ar  the 
things  we   call  books." 

OUR     TWO-SIDED     TRIANGLE 

Reading  is  a  mighty  engine,  beside  which  steam  and 
electricity  sink  into  insignificance.  Four  words  of  five  ar 
writn:    "It  wil  do  infinit" — :  It  remains  for  us  to  add  "good" 


TJl'.RARTI'.S  AND   EDUCATION  71 

or  "il."  What  can  we  do?  (lood  advice  and  exaiiipk-.  cn- 
curagement  of  the  best,  addresses,  all  these  iielp,  but  no  one 
(juestions  that  the  main  work  is  possibl  only  thru  the  or- 
ganization and  economy  of  free  public  libraries.  Many  hav 
practically  accepted  this  fact  without  clearly  seeing  the  steps 
that  hav  led  to  it.  It  is  our  high  privilege  to  liv  when  the 
public  is  beginning  to  see  more  than  the  desirability,  the 
absolute  necessity,  of  this  modern,  missionary,  library  work. 
With  the  founding  of  New  England  it  was  recognized,  tho 
opposed  to  the  traditions  of  great  powers  in  church  and 
state,  that  the  church  alone,  however  great  its  preeminence, 
could  not  do  all  that  was  necessary  for  the  safety  and  up- 
lifting of  the  peopl.  So  side  by  side  they  built  meeting-house 
and  school-house.  The  plan  has  had  a  long  and  thoro  trial. 
None  of  us  ar  likely  to  question  the  wisdom  of  bringing  the 
school  into  this  prominence,  but  thotful  men  ar  to-day, 
more  than  ever  before,  pointing  out  that  a  great  sumthing 
is  wanting  and  that  church  and  school  together  have  not 
succeeded  in  doing  all  that  was  hoped  or  all  that  is  neces- 
sary for  the  common  safety  and  the  common  good.  The 
school  STARTS  the  education  in  childhood;  we  have  cum  to 
a  point  where  in  sum  way  we  MUST  carry  it  on.  The 
simplest  figure  cannot  be  bounded  by  less  than  three  lines; 
the  lightest  table  cannot  be  firmly  supported  by  less  than  a 
tripod.  No  more  can  the  triangle  of  great  educational  work 
now  wel  begun  be  complete  without  the  church  as  a  basis, 
the  school  as  one  side,  the  library  the  other.  The  pulpit, 
the  press,  and  wideawake  educators  everywhere  ar  accepting 
this  doctrin.  There  is  a  general  awakning  all  along  the  line. 
The  nation  is  just  providing  in  the  congressional  library  a 
magnificent  home  for  our  greatest  collection  of  books;  the 
states  ar  passing  new  and  more  liberal  laws  to  encurage 
the  founding  and  proper  support  of  free  libraries;  individ- 
uals ar  giving  means  for  establishing  these  great  educational 
forces,  as  never  before.  Witness  Walter  Newberry's  three 
millions  to  Chicago,  Mrs.  Fiske's  million  and  a  half  to  Cor- 
nell University,  Enoch  Pratt's  million  and  a  half  to  Balti- 
more, Judge  Packer's  half  million  for  the  library  of  Lehigh. 
Andrew    Carnegie's    prof^erd    quarter    million    to    Pittsburg, 


^2.  -  MELVIL  DEWEY 

and  proudly  at  the  hed,  greatest  of  all  library  gifts,  Governor 
Tilden's  five  to  ten  million  left  to  New  York,  not  to  men- 
tion the  hundreds  of  smaller  gifts  which  mark  the  last  few 
years.  New  large  and  beutiful  bildings  ar  being  rapidly 
provided;  new  libraries  ar  being  started  at  the  rate  of  one 
to  three  each  week;  old  ones  are  taking  on  new  life  and 
zeal;  Sunday  school  and  church  libraries  ar  organizing  to 
enlarge  and  make  their  work  more  efifectiv,  and  a  great  field 
of  usefulness  at  present  hardly  realized  is  opening  in  this 
special  direction;  schools  ar  being  bro't  into  direct  and 
activ  relations  with  local  public  libraries.  To  one  studying 
this  great  problem,  the  air  is  full  of  the  signs  of  the  time. 
As  with  the  free  school,  so  again,  New  England  leads  in  free 
libraries,  but  her  exampl  is  being  followd  with  constantly 
increasing  rapidity. 

THE   LIMITATIONS    OF   THE   SCHOOLS 

Our  fathers  had  to  revise  their  ideas  and  introduce  the 
free  schools  as  an  essential  factor.  The  time  has  come  when 
we  must  revise  our  conceptions  of  education  or  refuse  to 
recognize  very  significant  facts. 

Education  is  a  matter  of  a  life  time.  We  provide  in  the 
schools  for  the  first  lo  or  15  years  and  ar  only  cum  to  the 
threshold  of  seeing  our  duty  to  the  rest  of  life.  We  begin 
to  see  that  the  utmost  that  we  can  hope  for  the  masses  is 
schooling  til  they  can  take  the  author's  meaning  from  the 
printed  page.  I  do  not  mean  merely  to  pronounce  the  words 
or  pass  the  tests  for  illiteracy,  but  to  understand.  Observa- 
tion has  convinst  me  that  the  reason  why  so  many  peopl  ar 
not  habitual  readers  is,  in  most  cases,  that  they  never  really 
lernd  to  read;  and,  startling  as  this  may  seem,  tests  wil  show 
that  many  a  man  who  would  resent  the  charge  of  illiteracy 
is  wholly  unabl  to  reproduce  the  author's  tho'ts  by  looking 
at  the  printed  page.  And  even  with  this  tremendous  modifier 
of  the  real  number  of  readers  we  lose  ground.  I  am  no  pessi- 
mist. I  hav  no  sympathy  with  croakers.  I  am  proud  to  the 
last  degree  of  the  great  work  that  is  being  done.  But  we 
cannot  shut  our  eyes  to  the  census.  In  1870  15  per  cent 
of  illiterates  seemed  an  ugly  item,  1)Ut  it  had  grown  to  17 
per    cent    in    1880,    in    spite    of    all    our    millions    and    all    our 


LTP.RAKTKS  AND  EDUCATION  73 

boasts.  Of  the  children  of  school  age  in  this  great  state,  how 
pitifully  few  get  beyond  the  grammar  school?  And  of  those 
who  becum  academic  pupils  how  many  enter  college?  And 
to  the  saving  remnant  that  graduates  from  college,  h«nv 
much  of  the  knowledge  of  after  life  came  from  schools,  and 
how  much  from  reading?  We  must  face  the  facts.  We 
must  struggl  to  teach  our  masses  to  read  in  our  schools. 
Then  they  must  becum  bred  winners;  and  if  we  carry  on 
their  education  we  must  do  it  by  providing  free  libraries 
which  shal  serv  as  high  schools  and  colleges  for  the  peopl. 
Our  schools  at  best,  wil  only  furnish  the  tools  (how  rudi- 
mentary those  tools  for  most  people  now);  but  in  the  ideal 
libraries,  towards  which  we  ar  looking  to-day,  wil  be  found 
the  materials  which,  with  these  tools,  may  be  workt  up  into 
good  citizenship  and  higher  living.  The  schools  giv  the 
chisel;  the  libraries  the  marbl;  there  can  be  no  statues  with- 
out both.  As  this  fact  becomes  more  generally  recognized 
the  time  draws  nearer  when  the  traveler  wil  no  longer  ask, 
hav  3'ou  a  library,  but  where  is  the  library,  assuming  its  ex- 
istence as  much  as  he  now  assumes  that  there  must  be  a 
church   and   school   and   post-office. 

STORAGE    AND    RECREATION    LIBRARIES 

But  if  the  library  is  to  do  the  ideal  work  that  we  hav 
in  mind  it  must  hav  sum  of  the  ideal  qualities  on  which  such 
work  depends.  This  means  a  library  differing  materially 
from  both  the  types  most  familiar  in  the  past,  which  we  may 
call  storage  and  recreation  libraries.  The  first  is  a  store- 
house, a  cistern,  an  arsenal,  medieval  in  its  spirit,  a  literary 
miser,  always  getting  in,  seldom  giving  out.  It  was  for 
holding  and  preserving,  and  not  for  use,  and  is  best  illus- 
trated by  the  miser,  who  gets  gold  not  to  spend,  but  merely 
for  the  satisfaction  of  possession.  The  European  libraries 
ar  largely  of  this  character,  as  ar  most  state  and  govern- 
ment collections. 

The  recreation  type  is  a  mental  candy  shop,  and  at  the 
other  extreme  in  every  feature.  It  is  wholly  for  use,  but 
the  use  is  wholly  for  amusement.  It  could  be  illustrated  by 
a  school  that  taught  only  games,  or  a  hotel  that  in  its  din- 
ing-room  served   only  sweetmeats.     It  has,   to  be   sure,   sum 


74  MELVIL  DEWEY 

excellent  books,  but  supplied  to  meet  the  taste  of  its  pleas- 
ure-seekers, as  the  confectioner  givs  those  who  wish  it  a  bit 
of  good  bred  to  eat  with  their  ice  cream. 

Surely  every  library  ought  to  hav  an  ambition  to  get 
and  preserv  books,  and  surely  some  place  should  be  found 
in  every  general  collection  for  fiction  and  humor.  These 
ought  however,  to  be  the  embroidery,  and  not  the  web.  A 
circulating  library  run  as  a  business  wil,  of  course,  take  on 
this  latter  character,  and  supply  whatever  wil  be  most  redily 
taken  by  its  customers.  But  the  library  in  which  we  ar  in- 
terested to-day  combines  the  good  features  of  both  these 
with  others  of  its  own,  and  is  the  institution  that  deservs 
the  name  of  peopl's  university.  It  might  wel  copy  that  broad 
legend  from  the  seal  of  Cornell,  "An  institution  where  any 
person  may.  find  instruction  in  any  study."  Perhaps  we 
should  more  clearly  recognize  its  proper  functions  and  be  in 
less  danger  of  confusing  it  with  old  ideas,  if  we  calld  it  not 
a   '"library"   but   a   "Peopl's   university." 

WHAT    AIAKES    A    MODEL  LIBRARY? 

To  the  making  of  such  a  library  many  elements  con- 
tribute. A  bilding  wil  not  do  it  tho  it  be  as  beutiful  as  the 
Taj  and  as  great  as  the  Coliseum.  Money  and  books,  tho 
essential,  wil  not  of  themselvs  make  such  a  library.  I  recall 
visiting  a  magnificent  bilding  on  which  about  a  million  dol- 
lars had  been  spent.  In  it  wer  many  valuabl  books.  It 
was  in  a  great  city,  and  a  thousand  readers  daily  ought  to 
hav  found  their  way  thru  its  open  doors.  When  I  lookt 
with  surprise  at  the  four  or  five  readers  who  seemd  lost  in 
its  superb  rooms,  my  witty  frend  the  chief  librarian  said, 
"why,  there  is  hardly  a  day  passes  that  sum  one  does  not 
cum  into  this  library." 

And  I  recall  a  similar  illustration  which  came  under  my 
personal  knowledge.  The  detectiv  force  of  a  great  city  wer 
•in  hot  pursuit  of  a  man  who  tho't  it  impossibl  to  hide  from 
them.  A  literary  man  to  whom  he  had  done  a  favor  under- 
took successfully  to  secrete  him  thru  the  entire  day,  and 
after  dark  he  escaped.  The  place  chosen,  where  he  would 
be  least  exposed  to  recognition  from  chance  observers  was 
in  the  public  reading-room  of  a  great  library,  which,  like  the 


LIIM^\R[|«:S  AND  EDUCATION  75 

one  before  inentioned,  was  famous  for  tlic  nunihcr  of  pcopl 
who    did    not    go    there. 

We  have  no  time  to-day  to  go  into  the  questions  that 
determine  a  library's  measure  of  success.  Merc  mention 
of  beds  must  suffice.  Its  location  should  be  central  and  ac- 
cessibl  to  all.  Its  bilding  should  be  comfortabl  and  con- 
venient. Grandier  plays  no  part  in  usefulness.  Its  hours 
of  opening  should  be  long,  for  the  peopl's  university  like  the 
town  pump,  should  seldom  be  closed  to  those  needing  it. 
The  regulations  should  be  liberal,  with  as  litl  red  tape  as 
is  consistent  with  the  safety  of  the  books.  It  goes  without 
saying  that  books,  pamflets  and  serials  should  be  well  se- 
lected and  as  liberally  provided  as  means  allow.  It  would  be 
hard  to  find  a  library  in  which  from  10  to  50  per  cent  of 
its  books  could  not  be  replaced  with  others  more  valubl  for 
its  use.  In  fact  it  is  common  to  find  collections  where  if 
the  very  best  could  be  chosen  from  the  open  market,  one 
quarter  the  number  of  books  would  have  more  value  than  the 
whole  miscellaneous  assemblage.  After  the  books  cum  the 
litl-understood  catalogs,  classification  and  analysis  which  vastly 
increase  their  practical  value. 

Only  those  with  special  experience  can  understand  how 
essential  to  an}'  high  success  ar  such  appliances.  Working 
in  a  library  without  them  is  like  trying  to  find  a  score  of 
men  in  a  great  city  without  a  directory.  You  may  chance 
on  sum  one  who  knows  the  man  j^ou  seek  and  can  direct  you 
to  him,  but  the  chances  ar  that  you  wil  hav  a  long  disharten- 
ing  serch  and  perhaps  fail  entirely  to  find  him. 

Finally  and  perhaps  more  important  than  all  the  rest  is 
the  librarian.  If  he  can  furnish  inspiration  and  guidance 
to  the  readers  who  seek  his  help  then  may  we  indeed  look 
for  a  true  university  whether  large  or  small,  for  the  small 
library  should  hav  all  the  high  ideals  of  the  large  with  the 
best  of  their  books. 

THE    scholar's    LIBRARY 

And  such  a  library  is  the  real  university  for  the  scholar 
as  well  as  for  the  peopl.  Of  old  the  pupil  was  continually 
with  the  teacher,  and  from  his  lips  lernd  the  sought  for 
Wisdomi;   but  the  printing  press  has   revolutionized  all   this, 


76  ^  MELVIL  DEWEY 

and  to-day  many  an  ernest  discipl  has  never  seen  the  face 
nor  herd  the  voice  of  his  master,  but  has  received  all  his 
teachings  thru  the  printed  page.  The  "new  education"  is 
chiefly  distinguisht  by  substituting  the  library  for  the  text 
book  and  dogmatic  lecture.  Seminars  ar  springing  up  in  the 
best  colleges  in  all  departments.  Students  ar  taught  to  work 
in  the  library  as  the  main  object  of  their  course  and  when 
one  is  abl  to  use  skilfully  a  large  bibliografical  apparatus 
and  to  get  quickly  and  accurately  from  a  great  library  what 
he  needs,  he  may  indeed  claim  to  hav  a  good  education. 

Of  late  years  the  college  library  has  been  taking  an 
entirely  new  position.  Of  old  it  was  attacht  to  the  chair 
of  some  overworkt  professor  or  put  in  charge  of  the  janitor 
and  opend  four  or  five  hours  per  week  in  term  time  only. 
Now  it  is  being  raised  to  the  rank  of  a  distinct  university 
department;"  there  ar  professors  of  bibliografy,  of  books 
and  reading,  and  at  Columbia  we  hav  for  the  first  time  a 
chair  of  Library  Economy.  The  libraries  ar  being  made  as 
accessibl  as  the  traditional  college  wel,  sum  of  them  open- 
ing from  8  a.  m.  to  lo  p.  m.,  including  all  holidays  and  vaca- 
tions; they  are  receiving  endowments,  e.  g.  the  million  and 
more  to  Cornell  University,  Prof.  Horsford's  great  gift  to 
Wellesley,  Judge  Packer's  half  million  to  Lehigh,  and  the 
list  of  funds  givn  to  Harvard,  the  Phoenix  gift  to  Columbia, 
and  so  I  might  go  on  with  hundreds  of  illustrations.  New 
and  beutiful  bildings,  sum  fire-proof,  all  vast  improvements 
over  what  was  tho't  sufficient  in  the  last  generation,  multiply; 
Harvard,  Brown,  Amherst,  Dartmouth,  Oberlin,  Yale,  the 
Universities  of  Michigan,  Vermont  and  Pennsylvania;  in 
this  state  Cornell,  Syracuse,  and  Madison  Universities,  and 
so  on.  In  New  York  city  alone  three  splendid  collegiat 
library  bildings  hav  just  been  finisht;  for  the  General  Theo- 
logical Seminary,  Union  Seminary  and  our  own  at  Columbia 
which  has  cost  over  $400,000  and  alredy  we  plan  an  enlarge- 
ment. The  colleges  ar  waking  to  the  fact  that  the  work  of 
every  professor  and  every  department  is  necessarily  based 
on  the  li])rary;  text  books  constantly  yield  their  exalted 
places  to  wiser  and  broader  methods;  professor  after  pro- 
fessor sends  his  classes,  or  goes  with  them,  to  the  library 


LTRRARTES  AND  EDUCATION  -jy 

and  teaches  them  to  investigate  for  themselves  and  to  use 
books,  getting  beyond  the  method  of  primary  school  with  its 
parrot-like  recitations  from  a  singl  text.  With  the  refer- 
ence librarians  to  counsel  and  guide  readers;  with  the 
greatly  improved  catalogs  and  indexes,  cross-references, 
notes  and  printed  guides,  it  is  quite  possibl  to  make  a  great 
university  of  a  great  library  without  professors.  Valuabl  as 
they  ar  in  giving  personal  inspiration,  they  can  do  litl  in 
making  a  university  without  the  library.  Just  as  truly  as 
we  found  in  popular  education  that  the  real  school  for  the 
mass  of  peopl  and  for  all  their  lives  except  erly  childhood, 
was  the  library,  so  in  the  higher  education  the  real  uni- 
versity is  a  great  library  thoroly  organized  and  liberally  ad- 
ministerd. 

THE   PRESENT    NEED 

What  we  need  now  in  higher  education  is  not  more 
colleges  but  more  libraries.  Railroads  hav  largely  annihi- 
lated space  and  for  the  preliminary  training  it  is  easy  to  send 
our  boys  and  girls  a  few  hundred  miles  to  college;  but  for 
the  training  that  must  be  carried  on  all  thru  life  they  need 
the  peopl's  university,  close  at  hand  where  it  may  be  reacht 
without  serious  interruptions  of  regular  pursuits.  It  is  like 
the  post-office  and  market  compared  to  the  registry  of  deeds. 
One  does  not  object  when  he  buys  an  estate  to  go  a  long 
distance  to  record  his  title  but  when  he  wishes  to  mail  a 
letter  he  insists  on  having  a  post-office  at  hand.  Higher 
education  therefore  demands  new  libraries  at  accessibl  points 
thruout  the  state  and  their  wise  and  economical  establish- 
ment requires  guidance  and  supervision  such  as  the  Regents 
of  the  University  can  best  supply.  State  after  state  has 
partially  recognized  the  claim  of  the  library  by  passing  laws 
allowing  communities  to  tax  themselves  for  its  maintenance 
and  the  time  has  cum  when  the  recognition  of  its  true  place 
must  be  made  complete.  If  New  York  will  not  now  lead  as  is 
her  wont,  at  no  distant  day  the  greatest  of  the  states  wil 
hav  to  follow. 

THE   AGENCIES    AT   WORK 

If  time  allowd  I  should  like  to  sketch  to  you  the  recent 
development  of  the  modern  library  idea.     I   merely  mention 


78  MELVIL  DEWEY 

the  great  steps,  referring  you  for  fuller  information  to  the 
Library  Journal,  Library  Notes  and  the  circulars  to  be  had 
on  application  at  the  Columbia  Library  School.  We  date 
activ  progress  from  1876  when,  after  a  few  days'  successful 
conference  in  Philadelphia,  the  American  Library  Associa-! 
tion  was  organized.  It  holds  annual  meetings,  markt  among 
conventions  by  their  practical  work  and  enthusiasm.  The 
same  year  we  started  an  official  monthly  organ,  the  Library 
Journal,  now  in  its  13th  volume.  Shortly  after  followed  that 
most  important  practical  factor  in  the  library  work,  the  Li- 
brary Bureau  of  Boston,  which  undertakes  to  do  for  li- 
braries such  work  as  is  not  practicabl  for  the  Association 
or  magazine.  It  equips  large  or  small  libraries  with  every- 
thing needed  (except  books  and  periodicals)  of  the  best 
patterns  devised  by  or  known  to  the  officers  and  committees 
of  the  Association  of  which  it  is  the  tangibl  representativ 
for  manufacturing  and  distributing  improved  appliances  and 
supplies.  It  secures  traind  catalogers  and  assistants  or  finds 
positions  for  those  out  of  employment,  gives  technical  ad- 
vice in  its  consultation  department,  and  in  all  practicabl 
ways  fosters  library  interests.  Ten  years  after  the  Journal 
which,  because  of  its  limited  'circulation,  barely  pays  ex- 
penses at  $5  a  year,  came  its  co-laborer,  Library  Notes,  a 
quarterly  magazine  of  librarianship,  specially  devoted  to  the 
modern  methods  and  spirit,  and  circulated  widely  because 
of  its  low  price.  Last  of  the  great  steps  came  the  school 
for  training  librarians  and  catalogers  which  two  years  ago 
was  opend  at  Columbia  College  thru  the  same  influence 
which  had  before  started  the  Association,  Journal,  Bureau 
and  Notes.  You  who  appreciate  what  normal  schools  ar 
doing  to  improve  our  teaching  wil  remember  that  the  li- 
brarians need  a  training  school  more  than  the  teachers  who 
hav  had  the  experience  of  their  own  school-life  as  a  pattern; 
for  librarians  til  two  years  ago  never  had  opportunity  for 
training,  and  came  to  their  work  like  teachers  who  had  been 
self  taught  and  not  only  had  no  normal  school  advantages 
but  had  never  been  in  a  school  or  class  room  even  as  pupils. 
As  evidence  of  the  growth  of  the  idea  we  may  note  that 
this  Library   School  which  began  two  years  ago  with  a  12 


LTIIkARIES  AND  EDUCATION  79 

weeks'  course  and  provision  for  five  to  ten  pupils  has  in  two 
full  years  four  times  as  many  students  at  work,  and  in 
spite  of  the  rapidly  increast  requirements  for  admission  is 
to-day  embarrast  by  five  times  as  many  candidates  as  it  can 
receiv.  This  means  a  recognition  of  the  high  calling  of  the 
modern  librarian  who  works  in  the  modern  spirit  with  the 
high  ideals  which  the  School  holds  before  its  pupils. 

PREACHER^    TEACHER    AND    LIBRARIAN 

Compare  this  work  with  that  of  the  clergyman  or  teacher 
whose  fields  of  usefulness  ar  universally  put  in  the  first  rank; 
The  clergyman  has  before  him  for  one  or  two  hours  per 
week  perhaps  one-tenth  or  one-twentieth  of  the  peopl  in  his 
parish.  Not  so  many  indeed  when  we  remember  how  often 
there  ar  little  struggling  churches  of  a  half  dozen  denomina- 
tions where  one  strong  church  could  do  all  the  work  much 
better.  Be3'ond  this  very  limited  number  for  this  very  lim- 
ited time  the  clergyman  is  dependent  on  the  slow  process 
of  personal,  parochial  calls.  I  yield  to  none  in  my  apprecia- 
tion of  the  great  work  which  he  does  and  do  not  forget  the 
constant  stream  of  good  influences  cuming  from  his  daily 
life  and  the  many  direct  efforts  he  puts  forth;  but  I  am 
speaking  now  of  his  work  as  a  preacher  and  of  the  limits 
which  circumstances  seem  to  set  to  it. 

The  teacher  has  a  larger  proportion  of  her  constituency 
in  the  earlier  years,  but  only  for  a  few  hours  a  day  and  only 
in  the  months  when  schools  ar  in  session.  It  constantly 
happens  that  just  as  she  becums  deeply  interested  in  a 
bright,  promising  boy  or  girl  and  feels  that  here  is  an  op- 
portunity to  develop  a  strong  character  by  patient  work,  the 
child  cums  and  says:  "I  am  not  cuming  to  school  any  more. 
I  am  going  to  work  in  the  factory,"  or  'T  am  going  to  help 
mother  at  home."  For  the  great  majority  the  work  of  edu- 
cation has  hardly  begun  before  the  necessities  of  life  take 
them  away  from  the   teacher's   influence. 

But  the  earnest  librarian  may  hav  for  a  congregation  al- 
most the  entire  community,  regardless  of  denomination  or 
political  party.  His  services  are  continuous  and  in  the  wide 
reaching  influences  of  the  library  there  is  no  vacation.  When 
a  bright  boy  or  girl  has  been  once  found  and  interested  and 


8o  .  MELVIL  DEWEY 

started,  he  is  almost  sure  to  continue  under  these  influences 
all  his  life.  It  has  been  found  entirely  practicabl  for  a  skill- 
ful librarian  thus  to  reach  and  interest  peopl  who  hav  never 
been  in  the  habit  of  reading;  to  lead  readers  into  new  and 
more  profitabl  fields,  and  to  create  a  thirst  for  better  books. 
In  fact  the  number  of  ways  in  which  peopl  can  be  helpt  is 
only  equald  by  the  power  and  lasting  character  of  this  in- 
fluence which  cums  from  good  books.  Recognizing  these 
facts  there  ar  those  lookng  to  the  adoption  of  the  library  pro- 
fession as  a  way  to  spred  the  Master's  word  even  more  ef- 
fectivly  than  the  pulpit;  and  there  ar  teachers,  whose  whole 
harts  have  been  givn  to  the  cause  of  popular  education,  who 
ar  eager  to  enter  this  newer  field,  because  they  recognize  in 
it  a  stil  wider  opportunity. 

Is  it  not  true  that  the  ideal  librarian  fils  a  pulpit  where 
there  is  service  every  day  during  all  the  waking  hours,  with 
a  large  proportion  of  the  community  frequently  in  the  con- 
gregation? Has  he  not  a  school  in  which  the  classes  grad- 
uate only  at  death? 

THE    PRESENT    DUTY    OF    THE    STATE 

Much  is  already  done  and  while  the  work  is  in  its  in- 
fancy, it  is  an  infant  so  vigorous  as  to  leav  no  fears  of  its 
manhood.  A  last  great  step  remains  to  be  taken,  and  to-day 
and  here  it  ought  to  be  begun.  The  state  long  ago  recog- 
nized its  school  system  as  one  of  its  bulwarks  and  fosters 
it  with  yearly  increasing  expenditure.  Now  it  must  recog- 
nize educational  libraries  as  necessary  companions  of  the 
most  successful  schools.  This  eminent  body  represents  the 
higher  education  of  the  Empire  State,  which  the  Regents 
of  the  University  ar  charged  with  fostering.  Tell  me  if  you 
think  they  can,  without  taking  action,  face  our  facts  that  the 
best  reading  more  than  the  scholars  givs  education  to  our 
peopl;  that  the  colleges  provide  for  only  the  trifling  minority 
who  can  afford  time  and  money  to  share  in  their  great  ad- 
vantages; that  the  influence  conceded  to  be  most  potent  is 
left  without  guidance,  supervision,  stimulus  or  support. 
When  inspection  shows  that  a  school,  has  attained  a  certain 
standard,  it  is  honored  by  being  made  a  "Regents'  Academy." 
Can  we  do  less  than  giv  similar  inspections  to  libraries,  and 


LIUKARIES  AND   EDrCATIOX  8i 

when  one  is  found  doing  the  high  work  at  which  we  hav 
glanced  to-day,  honor  it  by  making  it  a  "Regents'  Library" 
and  by  virtue  of  success  in  its  high  calling,  a  member  of 
this  convocation  which  represents  the  institutions  that  giv 
New  York  its  higher  education?  What  greater  stimulus  can 
we  place  before  our  growing  libraries  than  such  certain  anrl 
official  recognition  of  superior  work? 

Many  advantages  ar  sure  to  spring  from  entering  wisely 
on  this  course.  I  do  not  advocate  undue  haste.  The  essen- 
tial thing  is  to  recognize  the  principl  and  then  meet  year  by 
3-ear  the  growing  demand  for  advice  and  inspiration.  There 
need  be  no  obligatory  supervision.  A  library  secretary  would 
soon  hav  more  requests  for  advice  and  help  than  he  could 
wel  answer.  New  communities  ar  constantly  waking  to  the 
need  of  libraries  and  would  be  deeply  grateful  for  wise  ad- 
vice as  to  the  best  means  of  developing  interest,  raising 
money,  selecting  cataloging  and  circulating  books  and  the 
thousand  details  which  make  or  mar  success.  It  is  wel 
known  to  the  experienst  that  the  same  money  can  be  made 
to  do  dubl  good  under  wise  administration  and  yet  for  lack  of 
just  such  help  as  could  be  afforded  at  a  cost  to  the  state  too 
trifling  to  be  worth  mentioning,  many  a  community  either 
fails  to  secure  its  library  or  fails  to  get  from  it  all  the  good 
that  the  time  and  money  could  be  made  to  yield. 

There  ar  few  topics  where  technical  knowledge  and  ex- 
perience ar  so  important  as  in  establishing  and  administering 
successfully  a  library  of  the  highest  grade  in  its  ideals  even 
tho  its  incum  be  small  and  its  books  comparativly  few.  It 
requires  no  vivid  imagination  to  picture  the  practical  value 
to  the  state  if  any  town  about  to  found  a  new  library  or 
improve  an  old  one  could  cum  to  the  Regents,  and  hav,  with- 
out charge,  the  best  guidance  for  its  case  that  the  combined 
experience  of  the  library  world  had  yet  workt  out.  Time 
allows  me  only  to  lodge  the  tho't  in  your  minds.  No  ex- 
pensiv  machinery  is  required.  A  singl  salary  with  harty 
recognition   of  the   work  would   start   it  creditably. 

EXTENSION    OF   UNIVERSITY   PRIVILEGES 

Such  an  officer  would  soon  find  money  and  books  placed 
in  his  hands  by  those  wishing  to  giv  them  where  they  would 


82  MELVIL  DEWEY 

do  most  good,  and  recognizing  his  superior  facilities  for 
wisest  distribution.  The  excellent  results  that  hav  becum 
notabl  from  the  Regents'  school,  examinations  would  be 
duplicated  in  good  effects  on  library  interests  by  competent 
inspections,  reports  and  suggestions  to  such  libraries  as 
wisht  them.  New  York's  splendid  collection,  the  best  ownd 
by  any  state  library,  is  about  being  moved  into  these  adjoin- 
ing rooms  which  ar  admirably  adapted  for  the  focus  of  state 
library  interests  and  the  central  Peopl's  University.  The 
Regents'  office  is  ideally  fitted  to  be  the  center  of  a  system 
of  universities,  and  carrying  to  all  parts  of  the  kingdom 
the  lerning  of  Oxford  and  Cambridge  and  the  other  great 
schools,  and  for  the  first  time  giving  them  a  practical  con- 
nection with  the  lives  of  the  masses,  and  making  them  a  new 
and  mighty  force  in  working  out  higher  standards  of  good 
citizenship.  "This  work  naturally  centers  at  local  libraries. 
Fellows  and  teachers  from  the  colleges  go  out  for  a  trifling 
fee  to  distant  towns  to  giv  courses  of  lo  to  20  lectures  on 
political  economy,  history,  literature,  science,  or  art;  indeed 
the  whole  range  of  the  university  curriculum  is  open.  With 
the  lectures  ar  given  references  to  the  best  books  to  be 
found  iu  the  local  libraries.  And  the  common  people  hear 
them  gladly.  Interest  is  arousd.  Many  ar  led  to  read  and 
lern  more  than  has  been  told  them  in  the  lecture.  Those 
most  interested  meet  for  discussion  and  further  instruction 
and  the  practical  results  hav  been  so  much  beyond  expecta- 
tion that  the  universities  ar  allowing  work  of  this  kind  to  be 
credited  as  a  part  of  a  university  course  leading  to  a  degree. 
This  means  that  many  a  man  who  would  otherwise  spend  his 
time  idling  about  saloons,  secures  insted  a  higher  education 
worthy  the  name.  Cambridge  alone,  I  am  told,  has  carried 
on  over  600  of  these  admirabl  university  extension  courses 
in  the  past  ten  years. 

NEW  York's  high  privilege 
Do  I  hear  sum  one  say  that  New  York  has  tried  the 
scheme  of  libraries  for  the  state  and  that  it  has  failed? 
With  that  story  I  am  familiar.  We  hav  lernd  by  experience 
what  not  to  do.  Every  great  movement  is  apt  to  succeed 
only  thru  repetitions  and  failures.     The  district  school  sys- 


LIBRARIES  AXD  EDUCATION  83 

tern  faild  becaus  too  widely  dissipated  and  becaiis  it  had  no 
supervision  such  as  I  hav  merely  hinted  at  to-day.  \V!io 
could  expect  12,000  libraries  to  be  administered  successfully 
in  a  state  where  there  were  not  12  men  that  could  be  fairly 
said  to  be  thuroly  fitted  for  the  work? 

The  great  state  of  New  York  led  all  the  rest  in  recogniz- 
ing, many  years  ago,  the  importance  of  good  reading  and  in 
trying  to  meet  the  want.  Seventeen  other  states  followed  its 
exampl  and  we  wcr  proud  of  our  leadership.  Today  state 
after  state  has  left  New  York  behind.  More  than  once  in 
our  national  librarj-  conventions  hav  we  of  New  York  been 
forced  to  hear  her  slightingly  spoken  of  becaus  she  was 
doing  so  litl  modern  library  work.  But  no  state  has  yet 
given  recognition  to  all  that  this  new  work  implies.  If 
New  York  wil  again  rise  to  the  occasion  and  officially  recog- 
nize the  library  as  part  of  its  system  of  higher  education  and 
giv,  as  fast  as  the}'  reach  the  standards,  the  libraries  of 
the  highest  type  a  seat  in  this  convention  as  in  fact  as  in 
resolution  co-workers  with  colleges  and  the  universities, 
then  again  shal  she  wear  her  crown  of  leadership.  If  she 
fails,  before  many  more  meetings  sum  other  state  will  hav 
seized  the  opportunity  that  is  now  hers. 

Gentlemen  of  the  convocation,  it  is  to-day  your  high 
privilege  to  lead.  To-morrow  it  may  be  your  bounden  duty 
to  follow. 


USE  OF  THE  PUBLIC  LIBRARY  IX  THE  CLEVE- 
LAND SCHOOLS 

The  use  of  the  piibHc  library  in  the  Cleveland  schools 
was  thus  briefly  set  forth  by  the  librarian — a  pioneer  in 
this  kind  of  co-operative  work — at  the  San  Francisco 
conference  of  the  x\merican  Library  Association  in  1891. 

William  Howard  Brett  was  born  in  Braceville,  Ohio, 
in  1846.  After  doing  service  in  the  Civil  War  and  study- 
ing medicine,  he  entered  business  as  a  bookseller  and  in 
1884  became  librarian  of  the  Cleveland  Public  Library. 
He  was  President  of  the  A.  L.  A.  in  1897  and  has  been 
Dean  of  the  \\'estern  Reserve  Library  School  since  1903. 
As  a  librarian  Mr.  Brett  has  been  noted  for  progressive 
ideas,  especially  for  the  early  use  of  the  open  shelf  in  his 
library;  for  his  efficient  administrative  methods  and  for 
the  planning  of  original  and  beautiful  library  buildings. 
The  Cleveland  Public  Library  is  a  school-district  library 
and  its  relations  with  the  schools  have  always  been  close. 
It  has  many  stations  in  school  buildings. 

For  several  years  past  the  teachers  in  the  Cleveland 
schools,  both  public  and  private,  and  also  some  teachers  of 
private  classes  have  been  allow^ed  to  draw  from  three  to  six 
additional  books,  and  in  some  cases  to  retain  them  longer 
than  the  usual  time. 

This,  though  an  advantage  prized  by  the  more  efficient 
teachers  of  the  city,  was  not  sufficient  for  the  needs  of  the 
schools. 


86  ^  WILLIAM  H.  BRETT 

During  the  year  1889  the  issue  of  books  to  the  teachers 
in  the  names  of  their  pupils  and  for  their  use  was  begun. 
In  addition  to  several  smaller  selections  of  books,  earlier  in 
the  year,  fifty  volumes  w^ere  placed  in  each  of  eleven  schools, 
which  remained  through  the  last  semester  of  that  year.  Dur- 
ing 1890  collections  numbering,  except  in  a  few  instances, 
50  volumes  each,  were  placed  in  61  schools  and  remained 
until   the   close  of  the  year. 

As  I  write,  at  the  beginning  of  the  school  year,  the  ap- 
plications already  indicate  a  very  large  increase. 

At  first  the  books  were  issued  in  the  name  of  the  pupils, 
the  teacher  being  responsible  for  them.  This  was  merely 
to  comply  with  the  rules,  as  the  teacher  actually  divided 
the  books  among  her  pupils  as  she  saw  fit. 

Lately  the  rule  was  modified  to  permit  the  issue  of  books 
directly  to  the  teacher  for  the  use  of  her  pupils  without  the 
formality  of  charging  them  to  the  pupils. 

One  of  the  library  assistants  who  has  had  charge  of  this 
work  from  the  beginning  has  been  accustomed  to  visit  each 
school  once  each  month,  to  check  up  the  books  and  see 
that  they  were  properly  cared  for.  This  frequent  oversight 
is  important  to  protect  the  interest  of  the  library,  to  call 
the  attention  of  the  teachers  promptly  to  any  deficiency, 
and  also  to  give  the  assistant  opportunity  to  make  helpful 
suggestions   to  the  teacher. 

Teachers  were  permitted  to  return  any  books  they  chose 
at  any  time  and  draw  others,  but  very  few  exchanges  were 
made.  The  selections  of  books  first  made  were  usually  re- 
tained with  very  little  change  to  the  end  of  the  year.  They 
were  used  by  the  teachers  at  their  own  discretion.  In  al- 
most every  instance  they  were  issued  to  the  pupils  for  use 
at  home,  v/hcre  they  were  read  by  other  members  of  the 
family;  and  as  most  of  the  books  were  placed  in  schools 
remote  from  the  library,  these  were  in  effect  small  delivery 
stations,  operated  without  expense  to  the  library  for  the 
benefit  of  the  group  of  families  represented  in  the  schools. 
It  places  books  in  many  families  which  have  not  been  using 
the  library,  and  to  many  children,  it  is  their  first  introduc- 
tion to  good  reading. 


THE    CLEVKLANl)  SCI1(J(M.S  8; 

One  teacher  told  me  an  incident,  shovvint?  tin-  liun<^fr 
for  books.  A  copy  of  a  favorite  story  disappeared.  It  had 
just  before  been  reluctantly  returned  by  a  brij^dit  ^irl  of  her 
class,  and  the  teacher's  suspicions  were  aroused  that  the 
desire  to  possess  the  book  had  proved  too  strong  a  tempta- 
tion for  her.  When  questioned,  she  finally  admitted  that 
she  had  taken  the  book,  but  bursting  into  tears  she  ex- 
claimed: "1  did  want  it  so  bad.  I  never  had  a  book  in  my 
whole    life." 

At  the  close  of  the  last  year  a  little  circular  was  sent 
to  the  teachers  having  books,  asking  each  what  the  result 
had  been  in  her  school,  whether  it  was  desirable  to  continue 
the  issue,  and  inviting  suggestions  as  to  the  best  books  and 
methods.  The  answers  received  were  almost  uniformly 
enthusiastic  as  to  the  value  of  the  books  in  the  school,  and 
were  unanimous  in  their  wish  to  have  the  issue  continued. 
Some  reported  that  the  influence  of  the  books  was  very 
marked  upon  the  school  work,  and  that  it  inspired  the  in- 
terest in  the  school  which  had  a  favorable  effect  upon  the 
deportment. 

I  happened  to  hear  of  two  schools  in  each  of  which  the 
collection  included  a  bound  copy  of  Harper's  Young  People. 
The  pupil  making  the  best  record  for  the  week  was  permitted 
to  draw  and  use  this  for  the  next  week.  It  proved  a  capital 
stimulus  to  exertion  and  good  behavior.  To  conclude,  I 
think  I  may  regard  the  work  thus  far  as  altogether  favorable 
and  encouraging.  It  has  not  been  done  in  accordance  with 
a  plan,  but  has  been  an  attempt  to  occupy  what  appeared  to 
be  a  new  field  of  usefulness  in  which  we  have  only  gone  for- 
ward step  by  step,  as  the  way  opened.  I  believe,  however, 
that  the  time  is  coming,  if  indeed  it  is  not  already  here,  when 
the  use  of  a  collection  of  good  books  in  the  school-room  will 
be  regarded  as  not  merely  desirable,  but  as  an  absolute  ne- 
cessity; when  the  introduction  of  our  children  to  good  liter- 
ature and  the  formation  of  the  reading  habit  will  be  regarded 
as  the  most  important  work  of  the  school  course.  What  the 
best  method  for  placing  books  in  the  school  room  may  be, 
the  future  must  develop.  I  am  convinced  now  that  it  should 
be    the    central    library   under    one    management    rather    tlian 


88  WILLIAM  H.  BRETT 

by  independent  libraries  for  the  separate  buildings  or  rooms, 
whether  this  central  library  will  be  a  public  library,  or  a 
special  one  for  the  schools.  Practically,  however,  the  public 
library  already  organized  and  equipped  for  work  offers  a 
means  of  beginning  the  work  at  once. 

The  essentials  for  successful  work  from  the  library,  I 
think,  are  simply  the  duplication  to  a  sufficient  extent  of 
the  best  books  and  the  frequent  oversight  of  its  collections 
when  placed  in  the  school  rooms.  The  advantages  I  have 
already  sufficiently  mentioned.  In  what  I  have  written  I 
have  merely,  in  accordance  with  the  request  of  our  president, 
given  an  account  of  the  work  of  our  own  library.  Work 
in  the  same  line  is  being  done  in  the  Milwaukee  library,  I 
believe,  also  in  the  Detroit  library  and  elsewhere,  from  which 
I  hope  we  may  hear. 

Permit  me  to  add  a  few  supplementary  words  in  regard 
to  another  direction  in  which  the  library  may  work  outside 
of  its  own  walls.  We  have  in  the  last  few  years  been  issuing 
books  to  a  few  manufacturing  firms  for  their  employes. 
They  give  us  the  names  and  addresses  of  their  employes 
who  wish  to  draw  books,  they  become  responsible  for  the 
books,  send  for  and  return  them,  usually  once  a  week.  We 
place  catalogs  in  the  works,  make  out  a  card  which  accom- 
panies the  book,  which  taken  out  and  filed  at  the  office  of  the 
works  charges  the  books  to  the  person,  so  that  the  work  in- 
volved  to   the   manufacturer   is  very   little. 

Of  the  300  names  now  registered  and  using  the  library 
from  the  different  manufactories,  not  more  than  20  had  ever 
used  the  library  before. 

I  mention  this  not  as  a  record  of  achievement,  but  as  sug- 
gesting a  hopeful  field  for  library  extension. 


THE  PL'BLTC  LIBRARY  AND  TITK  PUBLTC 
SCHOOLS 

How  this  difficult  work  may  actually  be  done  in  school 
is  shown  by  a  report  of  methods  in  the  Milwaukee  schools 
contributed  by  George  W.  Peckham,  then  Superintendent 
of  Schools  in  that  city,  to  The  Educational  Rez'iezi',  in 
1894.  The  fact  that  Dr.  Peckham  afterward  served  as 
librarian  of  the  Milwaukee  Public  Library  adds  interest 
to  his  presentation. 

George  Williams  Peckham  was  born  in  Albany,  N.  Y., 
in  1845,  and  died  in  Milwaukee  in  1914.  After  study- 
ing in  the  Academy  of  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  he  served  in 
the  army  during  the  Civil  \\^ar  and  then  studied  both 
law  and  medicine,  taking  his  doctor's  degree  in  the 
latter  at  ^Michigan  University  in  1881.  After  teach- 
ing in  the  public  schools  he  was  Superintendent  of 
Schools  in  Milwaukee  for  four  years,  including  that  in 
which  the  present  article  was  written,  and  in  1896  be- 
came librarian  of  the  Public  Library  of  the  same  city, 
serving  till  his  voluntary  retirement  in  1910.  Dr.  Peck- 
ham had  a  world-wide  reputation  as  an  entomologist. 

In  the  recent  educational  upheaval  in  the  school  systems 
of  this  country,  nothing  is  more  interesting  than  the  general 
effort  that  is  being  made  to  place  good  books  in  the  hands 
of  children.  If  we  are  to  cultivate  a  taste  for  good  reading 
among  the  masses  of  the  people,  the  work  must  be  begun 


90  ^  GEORGE  W.  PECKHAM 

before  the  children  have  formed  a  habit  of  reading  poor  and 
vicious   books. 

The  work  of  the  Milwaukee  Public  Library  is  based  upon 
the  assumption  that  children  will  have  books — and  that  it  is 
the  duty  of  those  in  authority  to  furnish  what  is  suitable. 

The  chief  danger  to  the  working  of  the  scheme  is  that  the 
teacher  is  apt  to  select  such  books  for  the  children  as  she 
thinks  they  ought  to  like,  without  considering  what  they 
actually  do  like.  The  well-meant  determination  to  impart 
useful  information,  when  the  children  are  craving  fairy  stories 
or  tales  of  adventure,  endangers  the  success  of  the  whole 
plan.  The  child  does  plenty  of  mental  work  in  school  hours. 
The  book  that  he  takes  home  to  read  should  not  be  an  added 
task,  but  should  furnish  him  with  recreation.  We  must  re- 
member that  there  are  first-rate  books  in  every  department, 
so  that  we  may  always  give  the  best;  and  the  child  himself  is 
often  a  good  judge  of  what  is  suitable  to  his  age  and  state  of 
development.  The  delusion  that  children  are  not  good  judges 
of  literature  is  disposed  of  by  the  enormous  popularity  of 
work  that  is  done  by  the  al)lest  writers;  for  example,  the 
reading  matter  of  .S"^.  Nicholas;  such  works  as  Eggleston's 
First  Book  of  American  History,  which  can  never  be  found  on 
the  shelves  of  our  library  although  we  have  bought  fifty 
copies  in  our  attempt  to  bring  the  supply  up  to  the  demand; 
Miss  Mulock's  Adventures  of  a  Broivnic;  Hawthorne's  Wonder- 
Book;  and,  in  the  upper  grades,  Longfellow's  Hiawatha. 

Some  teachers  have  another  habit  in  connection  with  this 
matter  that  must  be  looked  upon  with  suspicion.  When  a 
child  brings  back  a  book  that  he  has  read  he  is  asked  to  sit 
down  and  write  a  synopsis  of  it.  Such  exercises  may  be  very 
useful  as  school-work,  but  children  should  not  be  held  to  too 
strict  an  account  of  what  they  read.  We  should  furnish  them 
with  plenty  of  good  books  and  should  then  trust  that  Nature 
will  see  to  it  that  they  assimilate  what  they  need  and  forget 
the  rest.  In  the  Milwaukee  system  the  Library  works  on  the 
following  plan: 

Miss  Stearns,  the  superintendent  of  the  circulating  de- 
partment, visits  a  school  and  interests  the  teachers  of  the 
third  grade  and  upward  in  the  idea  of  placing  good  books  in 


LUIRARY  AND  SCllUUL  91 

the  hands  of  their  pupils.  The  teachers  then  give  a  library 
card  to  each  child.  The  Library  urges  the  teachers  not  to 
sign  the  guarantee  card  themselves,  but  to  have  this  done  by 
the  parents.  This  gains  the  consent  of  the  parents  to  the 
extra  reading  of  the  child  and  relieves  the  teachers  of  re- 
sponsibility; and  at  the  same  time  it  tends  to  develop  an  in- 
terest in  the  child  and  his  doings  at  his  home.  The  cards  be- 
ing issued,  the  teacher  goes  to  the  Library,  and  being  admit- 
ted to  the  shelves,  selects  books  enough  to  go  around  her 
class.  Of  course  the  excellence  of  the  selection  as  to  the 
grade  of  books  and  their  suitability  to  the  children  varies  with 
the  character  of  the  teacher.  The  Library  attempts  some  as- 
sistance by  publishing  numerous  lists  of  good  books  for 
young  folks.  One  of  these  lists  gives  good  books  for  boys, 
another  for  girls,  another  of  150  good  books  for  young  folks. 
We  have  also  a  catalogue  of  books  for  young  people  which 
was  prepared  by  ^Miss  West,*  the  librarian,  at  the  request  of 
the  former  superintendent,  Mr.  Anderson.  This  catalogue 
is  published  alone,  and  also  in  the  Teacher's  manual  of  the 
graded  course  of  instruction. 

The  books  selected  by  the  teacher  are  placed  in  well- 
made  boxes,  14  X  20  X  12  inches;  these  boxes  are  strength- 
ened on  the  outside  with  strips  all  around  the  top  and 
bottom,  and  are  furnished  with  strong  hinges  and  hasps,  and 
with  padlocks  for  fastening.  They  cost  $3.50  each.  They  are 
then  sent  by  the  Library  to  the  teacher  at  her  school,  our 
contract  price  for  cartage  being  twenty-five  cents  for  a  full 
box,  to  or  from  a  school,  the  empty  boxes  being  returned 
without  charge  to  the  Library.  Of  course  a  record  of  the 
books  is  made  at  the  Library  before  they  are  sent  out,  and 
the  following  blank  for  the  use  of  the  teacher  accompanies 
the  box.     On  the  first  page  appears  the  following: 


*  Now  Mrs.  Elmendorf.— Ed. 


02 


GEORGE  W.  PECKHAM 


Date 


MILWAUKEE  PUBLIC  LIBRARY. 

Record  of  Public  Library  Books  to  be  kept  by 

Teacher, 

School, 

Grade. 


This  record  must  be  kept  and  sent  back  to  the  Library 
with  the  books,  when  called  for.  The  Library  would  be  glad 
to  know  which  are  the  best  and  most  popular  books,  that 
more  copies  may  be  bought.  Any  suggestions  or  questions 
may  be  sent  to 

Lutie'  E.  Stearns, 
Supt.   Circulating  Department. 
On   the   second  and   third  pages   is  the  following  ruling, 
the  fourth  page  making  the  back  cover: 


No.  on  Book. 


Borrower's 
Card  No. 


Borrower' 
Card  No. 


Borrower's 
Card  No. 


There  are  twenty-five  lines  for  book  numbers. 

For  eight  weeks  the  books  are  left  in  the  hands  of  the 
teacher,  so  that  she  really  has  a  little  branch  library  of  her 
own.  Some  teachers  issue  the  books  once  a  week;  others 
issue  them  every  day  at  recess  time. 

Miss  West  writes  me:  "A  good  many  interesting  inci- 
dents come  back  through  the  teachers  of  the  use  of  the  books 
in  the  child's  home.  For  instance,  one  father,  the  driver  of 
a  beer  wagon,  read  the  Story  of  Liberty  aloud  to  the  as- 
sembled family;  one  small  boy  reported  that  he  could  not 
bring  his  book  until  the  next  day  as  his  mother  wanted  to 
finish  it  and  she  had  to  wash  that  day." 

From  September  i,  1893,  to  February  i,  1894,  84  teachers 
in  30  different  schools  drew  from  the  library  7423  volumes, 
which  were  read  by  14,092  children.  Of  these  5  per  cent, 
were  unclassified;  0.6  per  cent,  sociology;  15  per  cent,  natural 
science;  i.i  per  cent,  practical  science;  0.6  per  cent,  fine  arts; 


LIBRARY  AND  SCHOOL  93 

5.3  per  cent,  literature:  3.4  per  cent,  prose  fiction;  35.1  per 
cent,  children's  stories;  15  per  cent,  history;  14.3  per  cent, 
geography;  3.5  per  cent,  biography. 

It  must  be  understood  that  besides  this  reading  matter 
the  children  are  supplied  with  a  large  amount  of  supplemen- 
tary reading  for  use  in  the  schoolroom,  each  grade  being  ex- 
pected to  read  from  two  to  three  books  in  addition  to  the 
regular  reader  prescribed  by  the  school  board.  This  supple- 
mentary work  is  of  a  little  heavier  and  more  instructive  char- 
acter than  is  suitable  for  home  reading. 

The  great  success  of  this  work  is  due  to  the  earnest  and 
enthusiastic  labor  of  Miss  West  and  her  assistant.  Miss 
Stearns. 

Miss  West  says  that  there  is  no  work  done  by  the  Library 
that  costs  so  little  and  is  of  so  much  real  good  as  this,  and 
that  the  only  limit  to  the  amount  of  good  to  be  done  in  this 
direction  is  practically  the  amount  of  money  that  we  can 
spend  for  the  books  and  service. 

The  Library  has  taken  another  new  departure  in  its  at- 
tempt to  aid  the  public  schools.  All  large  public  libraries  take 
a  number  of  illustrated  journals,  and  as  they  preserve  only 
one  complete  set  of  such  publications,  there  is  always  an  im- 
mense accumulation  of  picture  papers.  In  our  library  the 
best  pictures  are  cut  from  these  journals  and  pasted  on  to 
sheets  of  manilla  paper  of  uniform  size  and  arranged  in  sets 
of  from  twenty-five  to  fifty  pictures.  These  sets  are  then 
put  into  portfolios  and  loaned  to  the  teachers  of  the  city 
schools.  One  set  may  be  made  up  of  animals,  another  of 
English  cathedrals,  another  of  the  World's  Fair  buildings,  and 
so  on  indefinitely.  The  teacher  having  one  of  these  port- 
folios sets  apart  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes  in  a  week  for  al- 
lowing the  children  to  handle  and  enjoy  the  pictures.  A  child 
looks  at  a  picture  for  a  few  minutes  and  then  exchanges  with 
some  other  child.  Thus  one  portfolio  may  serve  three  or 
four  grades  for  a  month.  Although  the  pictures  might  be 
used  as  a  basis  for  language  work  or  as  an  aid  in  geography 
lessons,  with  us  their  first  and  most  important  use  is  the 
cultivation  of  the  aesthetic  sense  and  of  the  power  of  deriving 
pleasure    from   good   pictures    and,   indirectly,   from    beautiful 


94  ^  GEORGE  W.  PECKHAM 

objects  wherever  they  may  be  met.  Thus  is  made  good  that 
absolutely  neglected  side  of  education,  the  development  of 
the  love  of  the  beautiful  in  art.  We  aim  to  do  for  the  children 
of  the  public  schools  what  the  high-grade  magazines  have 
done  for  so  many  people,  in  cultivating  their  appreciation  of 
good  work  in  wood  engraving.  The  great  majority  of  our 
school-children  never  see  such  papers  and  magazines  as 
Harper's  and  the  Century,  and  it  seems  well  worth  while  to 
give  them  beautiful  pictures  as  well  as  good  books.  We  care- 
fully avoid  making  the  study  of  pictures  a  task.  We  let  them 
tell  their  own  story  and  do  not  ask  any  description  nor  ex- 
planation of  their  meaning,  although  the  children's  spon- 
taneous  questions    are   intelligently   answered. 

This  work  may  be  done  by  any  school.  Scholars  or 
teachers  may  join  in  raising  money  to  pay  for  a  subscription 
to  some  good  illustrated  paper,  or  the  more  well-to-do  among 
the  pupils  may  be  asked  to  bring  from  their  homes  pictures 
which  would  otherwise  be  destroyed. 

Let  those  who  question  whether  this  is  a  wise  way  to 
spend  time  and  energy  try  the  experiment.  Put  the  pictures 
into  the  hands  of  the  children  and  note  the  delight  with  which 
they  receive  them,  and  then  remember  the  saying  of  Spinoza: 

''Joy  is  for  man  a  transition  to  a  higher  state  of  perfec- 
tion." 


THE  PUBLIC  LIBRARY  AND  THE  PUBLIC 
SCHOOL 

The  author  of  the  next  address,  WiUiani  Reed  East- 
man, was  born  in  New  York  in  1835,  graduated  at  Yale 
in  1854  and  at  Union  Theological  seminary  in  1862.  After 
serving  in  the  Civil  War  as  a  chaplain  in  1863-'64,  he  was 
actively  engaged  in  the  ministry  as  pastor  of  Congrega- 
tional churches  in  New  England  until  1888  when  he  was 
for  two  years  agent  of  Howard  University  in  Washing- 
ton. He  then  studied  library  economy  at  Albany,  grad- 
uating from  the  school  there  in  1892  and  receiving  his 
master's  degree  in  1907.  From  1891  until  1906  he  was 
Inspector  of  Public  Libraries  in  New  York  state  and  as- 
sistant in  the  State  Library,  and  afterward  until  his  resig- 
nation in  1912  he  served  as  Chief  of  the  Educational  Ex- 
tension Division  of  the  State  Department  of  Education. 

It  is  now  sixty  years  since  the  public  library  system  of  New 
York  was  born.  It  was  cradled  in  the  school  house.  But  the 
public  library  and  the  public  school  are  two  institutions.  They 
are  children  of  one  family  and  may  be  sheltered  under  the 
same  roof;  but  they  are  not  the  same,  neither  is  one  a  part 
of  the  other. 

The  distinctions  are  obvious  and  essential.  The  school  is 
for  the  instruction  of  the  young ;  the  library  is  for  all.  The 
school  imparts  knowledge  through  teachers  who  set  tasks  for 
pupils  and  see  that  the  tasks  are  done.  The  library  conveys 
knowledge  through  books  which  the  reader  takes  of  his  own 
choice  and  uses   as  much  or  as  little   as   he  pleases.     Both  use 


96  WILLIAM  R.  EASTMAN 

books,  but  the  books  are  different.  The  school  book  is  a  mass  of 
solid  facts  in  small  compass,  and  the  student  is  obliged  to  hold 
himself  up  to  it  with  a  certain  effort,  a  forcing  of  sluggish 
nature,  which  is,  no  doubt,  salutary  in  its  way,  but  still  a 
hard  self-compulsion,  in  comparison  with  which  the  relaxation 
of  the  library  is  pure  enjoyment.  A  pupil  in  the  school  at 
Wellesville,  in  writing  out  for  his  teacher  an  account  of  the 
book  he  had  been  reading,  which  was,  "Boys  of  '76," — said  that 
the  secret  of  its  popularity  was  that  "it  was  not  so  condensed 
as  other  histories." 

The  library  is  a  school  without  a  master,  bringing  into  action 
that  subtle  and  vital  mastery  of  the  spirit  which  appeals  to  the 
spirit  with  enduring  power  because  there  is  no  visible  and  ma- 
terial compulsion  about  it.  Or  you  may  call  it  a  school  with 
a  thousand  masters,  who  are  the  real  masters  of  men,  wise  in 
all  the  learning  of  the  world.  Through  their  most  royal  so- 
ciety the  minds  of  readers  are  cultivated,  their  characters  take 
on  a  higher  type,  and  the  community  has  distinctly  gained  in 
every  way. 

True  education  requires  both  these  factors,  and  each  needs 
the  other.  The  library  must  have  the  school  to  stir  the  crav- 
ing for  knowledge,  awaken  and  train  the  reading  habit.  The 
school  needs  the  library  to  illustrate,  enlarge  and  complete  its 
work,  not  only  through  the  period  of  school  days,  but  for  the 
lifetime  that  follows.  The  alternating  current  produces  results 
of  the  highest  order.  The  community  has  thoroughly  learned 
that  it  cannot  spare  the  school ;  neither  can  the  community  spare 
the  library. 

In  view  of  the  fact  that  for  many  years  it  was  the  policy 
of  the  State  to  leave  the  public  library  in  the  hands  of  the 
school  authorities,  it  becomes  important  in  considering  the  re- 
lations of  these  two  to  note  the  value  of  a  separate  management. 

I.  To  Hold  Public  Attention.  The  first  impulse  is  to  say 
"combine  them  for  the  sake  of  harmony  and  economy."  The 
danger  in  combination  is  that  one  will  become  subordinate  to  the 
other,  and  in  that  case  it  must  inevitably  suffer.  There  is  no 
danger  that  the  schools  will  take  the  second  place;  it  is  the 
library  for  whach  we  have  to  plead.  The  school  board  is  for 
the   schools.     Instruction   by   teachers   is    the    ruling   feature   in 


LIBRARY   AND  SCHOOL  97 

their  plans.  Of  course  they  wish  the  school  house  convenient 
and  the  whole  equipment  complete,  and,  in  that  view,  they  are 
entirely  friendly  to  the  library,  but  not  aggressively  so.  When 
funds  are  scarce  and  exigencies  arise  that  test  their  resources, 
the  library  is  compelled  to  wait.  It  is  usually  waiting.  More 
than  this,  while  the  school  boards  are  busy  with  the  needs  of 
pupils,  they  forget  the  working  men  and  women,  the  mill-hands, 
shop-girls,  farmers'  boys,  mechanics,  the  fathers  and  mothers 
for  whose  benefit  a  library  is  intended.  The  grown  up  class, 
the  thinking,  w^orking,  voting  class  are  left  out.  It  can  hardly 
be  otherwise.  The  annual  school  budget  presented  to  the  dis- 
trict meeting  usually  includes  a  modest  sum  for  new  books, 
with  a  little,  now  and  then,  for  services  in  the  library.  The 
people  vote  the  tax  in  one  item  with  a  comfortable  feeling  of 
having  done  their  w^hole  duty  to  the  cause  of  education.  Yet 
taxes  seem  heavy  and  many  economies  are  possible.  Some  one 
is  sure  to  ask,  "What  is  the  need  of  a  librarian?"  The  princi- 
pal can  manage  about  the  books  in  his  odd  hours;  teachers 
and  older  scholars  will  help;  a  few  minutes  at  noon  or  after 
school,  or,  at  the  utmost,  an  extra  hour  on  Saturday  will  be 
long  enough  to  suit  everybody  and  that  will  cost  little  or 
nothing.  These  economical  makeshifts  are  likely  to  prevail, 
and  too  often  the  library  work  under  these  conditions  will  be 
reduced  to  its  lowest  terms.  But  if  another  board  appears  in 
the  district  meeting  wath  another  claim  for  another  and,  in 
some  ways,  a  larger  purpose,  a  purpose  in  which  every  voter 
has  a  personal  interest,  being  no  less  than  a  plan  to  pro- 
vide the  whole  community  with  books,  a  great  opportunity 
for  self-instruction,  they  will  not  be  put  off  with  makeshifts. 
The  scope  and  value  of  this  other  work  assumes  at  once 
a  new  importance  and  the  ideas  of  the  voters  are  enlarged 
as  well  as  the  tax  rate.  The  increase  of  the  latter  is  really 
not  of  any  serious  consequence,  w^hile  the  growing  library 
under  the  influence  of  its  special  friends  and  promoters  is  be- 
coming a  power  in  the  community.. 

2.  To  Secure  the  Best  Management.  It  is  of  vital  conse- 
quence to  have  the  right  persons  in  charge.  The  best  board  for 
any  public  service  is  one  chosen  for  that  service.  But,  without 
a  separate  organization,   we  shall  have   a  library  board  chosen 


98  -  WILLIAM  R.  EASTMAN 

for  some  other  duty,  to  whom  the  care  of  the  library  is  a 
secondary  object.  Now,  if  we  can  secure  a  selection  of  trustees 
on  the  ground  of  fitness,  there  is  a  distinct  advance.  If  the 
choice  is  made  by  the  school  board,  as  one  section  of  the  present 
law  provides,  there  is  at  once  harmony  and  the  possibility  for 
an  ideal  choice.  Free  from  all  political  scheming,  they  can  be 
taken  from  the  best  men  and  women  in  the  community.  Some 
who  could  not  be  elected  to  the  school  board,  or,  if  elected, 
could  not  be  persuaded  to  accept  the  burdens  of  that  office,  may 
from  love  of  books  take  peculiar  pleasure  in  library  administra- 
tion. Such  a  board,  with  means  to  carry  out  their  plans,  can 
create  a  public  institution  in  which  all  will  take  just  pride.  The 
people  will  be  interested  in  it,  profit  by  it  and  rally  to  its  support. 
3.  To  Secure  Outside  Help.  Public  spirited  men  and  women 
will  be  attracted  by  this  enterprise,  and  will  be  far  more  likely 
to  remember-  it  by  gifts  and  bequests  if  it  stand  out  alone  in 
its  individual  character. 

4.  For  the  Sake  of  School.  At  this  point  some  may 
hesitate,  but  they  will  not  hesitate  long.  A  school  needs, 
of  course,  a  full  equipment  of  books  for  reference  and  needs 
them  in  the  school  room;  the  dictionary,  cyclopedia,  gazet- 
teer, dictionary  of  biography  and  books  to  illustrate  standard 
literature.  These  are  tools  of  the  trade  and  ought  to  be 
always  in  reach.  But  pupils  need  more.  They  want  history 
told  in  another  form,  but  not  so  much  "condensed."  They 
want  it  fresh  from  the  glowing  pages  of  Macaulay,  Prescott, 
Motley,  Parkman,  and  the  Stories  of  the  nations.  They  will 
find  the  war  of  the  revolution  in  the  Boys  of  '76,  King  Rich- 
ard and  his  times  in  Ivanhoe,  Mediaeval  France  in  Quentin 
Durward,  and  the  Cloister  and  Hearth,  Cromwell  in  Woo- 
stock  and  Friend  Olivia,  the  French  Revolution  in  the  Tale 
of  Two  Cities,  the  Battle  of  Waterloo  in  Vanity  Fair  and 
Les  Miserables,  the  War  of  the  Rebellion  in  the  Drumbeat 
of  the  Nation,  the  Recollections  of  a  Private  and  the  Lives 
of  Lincoln.  They  need  to  learn  geography  from  Bayard 
Taylor,  Stanley,  Kennan,  Lummis  and  Knox's  Boy  Trav- 
ellers. They  need  to  study  science  from  Arabella  Buckley, 
Olive  Thorne  Miller,  Mrs.  Dana,  Richard  Proctor,  Dr.  Wright 
and  from  the  current  magazines.     They  have  much  to  learn 


LIBRARY  AND  SCTTOOL  99 

that  is  outside  the  text  book  from  Hcnty,  Stoddard,  Mrs. 
Custer,  Cable,  Kipling  and  Captain  King  and  a  host  besides. 
These  writers  open  up  the  wide  world  to  them;  broaden  their 
conceptions  of  life  and  acquaintance  with  men;  give  them 
impulses  that  help  in  their  studies,  stir  their  ambition,  give 
them  clearer  views  of  honor,  justice,  and  truth;  help  make 
men  and  women  of  them.  And  all  these  should  be  in  easy 
reach.  But  the  pupil  will  have  access  to  them  just  as  readily 
and  often  to  better  advantage  in  the  public  library  than  if 
he  had  them  all  in  the  school  room,  and  the  public  library 
will  have  more  of  them.  If  he  knows  what  they  are  and 
where  they  are,  and  once  begins  to  want  them,  the  average 
boy  will  prize  them  more  highly  if  it  costs  an  effort  to  obtain 
them.  Let  him  learn  to  take  the  initiative  step  in  this  branch 
of  his  education.  It  will  be  worth  much  to  him  to  go  out- 
side the  school  into  the  new  atmosphere,  to  the  fresh  and 
stimulating  associations  of  the  public  library,  where  he  is 
no  more  a  mere  school  bo3%  but  a  citizen  to  choose  for  him- 
self. It  really  helps  the  school  to  have  another  institution 
in  the  community,  not  a  school,  and  where  school  methods 
do  not  prevail,  carrying  on  at  the  same  time  the  same  educa- 
tional informing  work  in  another  way  on  independent  lines. 
Be  sure  the  school  will  take  no  damage  from  the  separation. 
But,  if  other  arguments  were  wanting,  the  costly  experi- 
ment of  our  own  state  would  be  decisive.  At  this  anniversary 
time,  a  glance  at  the  past  is  peculiarly  in  order.  Sixty  years 
ago  New  York  began  the  free  library  movement  of  the  cen- 
tury by  enacting  the  first  known  law  permitting  communities 
to  tax  themselves  for  free  libraries.  The  act  of  1835  is  some- 
times belittled  by  calling  it  a  provision  for  district  school 
libraries.  But  this  view  of  it  was  expressly  disavowed  by  the 
leaders  of  the  movement  as  well  as  by  the  terms  of  the  law. 
The  tax  was  limited  indeed  to  $20  for  books  in  each  district 
the  first  year,  and  $10  a  year  thereafter,  but  the  principle 
of  the  public  library  "of  the  people,  by  the  people,  for  the 
people,"  was  in  the  act.  General  John  A.  Dix,  afterwards 
governor  and  otherwise  distinguished  in  the  national  history, 
then  Secretary  of  State,  and  ex-officio  Superintendent  of 
schools,  said  in  1839,  "It  would   be  natural  to  suppose  from 


100  ^         WILLIAM  R.  EASTMAN 

the  name  that  the  libraries  were  intended  solely  for  the  use 
of  schools,  but  they  were  not  established  with  so  narrow  a 
design.  They  were  recommended  in  1834  for  the  benefit  of 
those  who  have  finished  their  common  school  education  as 
well  as  for  those  who  have  not.  They  were  designed  as  an 
instrument  for  elevating  the  condition  of  the  whole  people." 
In  connection  with  the  common  assertion  that  New  York 
began  the  school  library  movement,  there  appears  usually 
the  further  statement  that  the  plan  was  copied  by  Massachu- 
setts, Connecticut,  Rhode  Island,  Iowa,  Maine  and  many 
other  states,  twenty  in  all.  The  truth  is  that,  of  those  just 
named,  the  territory  of  Iowa  alone  copied  fully  the  New 
York  idea.  The  library  laws  of  Massachusetts  in  1837,  of 
Connecticut  in  1839  and  of  Rhode  Island  in  1840  contain  each 
of  them  the  words  "for  the  use  of  the  children",  and  the  law 
of  Maine  in  1844  says  "for  the  use  of  the  school"  which  was 
a  part  of  the  New  York  idea.  The  states  of  New  England 
followed  New  York  more  nearly  when,  after  fourteen  years, 
New  Hampshire  in  1849,  followed  in  1851,  by  Massachusetts 
authorized  toivns  to  tax  themselves  for  public  libraries,  mak- 
ing indeed  a  marked  advance  in  establishing  the  larger  unit 
of  political  action. 

In  1836,  the  year  after  the  enactment  of  the  first  library 
law,  the  National  Congress  voted  to  deposit  a  large  amount 
of  surplus  United  States  revenue  with  the  several  states.  The 
state  of  New  York  was  given  over  $5,000,000,  offering  an 
annual  income  of  over  $300,000.  In  considering  the  use  to 
which  this  income  should  be  put,  Governor  Marcy  in  his  mes- 
sage of  1838  said:  "All  that  public  sentiment  demands  and  the 
public  good  requires  will  not  be  achieved  until  needful  facili- 
ties are  furnished  to  a  career  of  self  instruction.  District  li- 
braries are  well  calculated  to  exert  a  beneficial  influence  in  this 
respect."  This  appeal  of  the  governor  was  earnestly  seconded 
by  General  Dix  in  his  report  as  Superintendent  of  schools, 
and  the  legislature  of  1838  voted  the  distribution  of  $55,000 
annually  among  the  school  districts,  then  10,538  in  number, 
an  average  of  $5.00  to  a  district,  on  the  same  conditions, 
however,  as  the   school   money   was   distributed,   except  that 


LIBRARY  AND  SCHOOL  loi 

the  trustees  should  use  the  money  for  books  for  a  library. 
This  distributed  the  money  according  to  the  number  of  chil- 
dren of  school  age  and  reciuired  the  raising  of  an  equal 
amount  in  each  case  by  taxation.  Although  both  the  gov- 
ernor and  the  superintendent  had  taken  pains  to  advise 
in  express  terms  against  a  compulsory  tax,  the  temptation 
to  do  good  by  act  of  legislature  was  too  strong  to  be  re- 
sisted and  the  people  w^ere  allowed  no  choice  in  the  mat- 
ter. This  was  a  fundamental  mistake.  It  forced  the  system 
on  thousands  of  small  communities  where  it  found  little 
sympathy  and  no  willingness  to  make  any  sacrifice  to  main- 
tain it.  Three  hundred  districts  had  already  of  their  own 
accord  voted  a  tax  under  the  first  law.  To  them  the  offer 
of  aid  from  the  state  would  have  been  doubly  welcome,  and 
no  doubt  this  income  could  have  been  used  to  immense  ad- 
vantage to  encourage  by  spontaneous  and  healthy  increase 
the  voluntary  formation  of  public  libraries.  But,  in  the  ab- 
sence of  local  appreciation  and  effort,  the  library  and  its 
tax  became,  in  the  majority  of  cases,  a  burden  to  be  thrown 
aside  at  the  first  opportunity. 

Yet  the  law  of  1838,  distributing  so  large  a  sum  of  money, 
was  greeted  with  the  utmost  enthusiasm  as  containing  the 
promise  of  more  intellectual  and  moral  good  to  humanity 
and  to  free  institutions  than  anything  ever  attempted  by 
the  stale.  It  was  meant  as  a  provision  for  the  public  library; 
the  public  library  idea  was  distinct  and  strong  in  the  minds 
of  its  founders;  but  the  control  of  the  libraries  and  the 
handling  of  the  money  being  wholly  in  the  hands  of  the 
school  authorities,  and  by  subsequent  laws  after  a  few  years, 
the  alternative  use  of  the  money  being  in  school  channels, 
first  for  apparatus  and  then  for  "teachers'  wages",  the  li- 
braries-soon lost  the  distinctive  character  it  was  intended 
to  give  them.  The  people  thought  of  them  only  as  part  of 
the  schools.  In  large  villages  and  cities  it  was  different. 
In  such  places  there  were  more  books;  the  annual  income 
was  much  larger  and  better  worth  careful  husbanding.  A 
more  capable  class  of  school  officers  secured  advantages 
for  the  libraries  in  many  places,  and  many  important  sur- 
vivals of  the  general  wreck  testify  to  the  possibility  of  great 


102  ^  WILLIAM  R.  EASTMAN 

good  in  the  system  under  favorable  conditions.  That  sys- 
tem could  not  have  been  altogether  a  failure  that  produced 
the  Syracuse  Central  Library  with  its  25,000  volumes  to- 
day, Rochester  Central  and  Brooklyn  East  District  each 
with  20,000,  Newburg  Free  Library  with  19,000  and  Pough- 
keepsie  Library  with  18,000.  These  five  are  the  largest  of  the 
class,  but  there  are  many  more  like  them  and  the  active 
village  libraries  still  handled  by  the  school  board  must  be 
counted  by  hundreds.  But  for  the  State  at  large  the  gen- 
eral failure  of  the  plan  must  be  confessed.  As  we  look 
back  there  appear  at  least  four  plain  reasons. 

1.  The  country  district  was   too   small. 

2.  There  was  no  adequate  supervision. 

3.  The  law  for  thirteen  years  was  compulsory,  was 
soon  evaded  and  its  gifts   diverted  to  another  purpose. 

4.  The -library  was  managed  as  part  of  the  school  and 
failed  of  the  independent  growth  to  which  it  was  entitled. 

For  the  last  forty  years  the  total  number  of  volumes 
reported  as  in  the  district  libraries  has  shown  a  steady 
line  of  diminution  from  1,604,210  in  1853  down  to  825,915  in 
1892,  while  the  appropriation  was  constant  and  every  year 
a  sum  not  less  than  $24,000  and  sometimes  rising  to  $60,000 
was  spent  for  their  renewal.  In  the  forty  years  of  decrease 
the  State  spent  $1,493,611  in  the  process.  The  sharpest  ar- 
raignment of  the  situation  occurs  in  the  school  report  of 
1862,  by  Superintendent  E.  W.  Keyes.  He  says:  "When  I 
look  for  the  return  from  this  princely  investment  and  find 
it  mainly  represented  by  a  motley  collection  of  books,  rang- 
ing in  character  from  Headley's  Sacred  Mountains  to  the 
Pirates  Own  Book,  numbering  in  the  aggregate  a  million 
and  a  half  volumes  scattered  among  the  various  families, 
constituting  a  part  of  the  family  library  or  serving  as  toys 
for  children  in  the  nurscy;  torn,  worn,  soiled  and  dilapidated, 
saturated  with  grease,  offering  a  temptation  to  ravenous 
rats;  crowded  into  cupboards,  thrown  into  cellars,  stowed 
away  in  lofts,  exposed  to  the  action  of  water,  of  the  sun  and 
fire,  or  more  frequently,  locked  away  into  darkness  unre- 
lieved and  silence  unbroken,  I  am  constrained  to  believe  that 
no  plunder-burdened  contractor  or  bribe-stained  official  ever 


LTP.RARY  AND  SCTTOOL  103 

yielded  to  the  state  so  poor  a  return  for  his  spoil  as  have  the 
people  of  the  state  derived  from  this  liberal  and  l)eneliccnt 
appropriation  through  their  own  reckless  and  improvident 
use  of  it."  He  finds  the  cause  in  the  "unnatural  and  un- 
philosophical  principles"  involved  "in  any  system  of  co))i- 
pulsory  free  libraries."  He  adds  that  "the  darkness  of  the 
picture  is  partially  relieved  by  the  fact  that  the  cities  and 
larger  villages  have  been  less  negligent  and  w^asteful." 

It  was  a  costly  experiment;  yet  the  experience  gained 
may  be  of  priceless  value  if  we  know  how  to  use  it.  The 
legislation  of  1892  sounded  the  note  of  recovery.  Superin- 
tendent Andrew  S.  Draper  whose  hand  is  seen  in  the  law, 
in  his  valuable  report  of  1889,  after  careful  study,  had  al- 
ready pointed  out  the  way.  The  key  note  of  the  plan  was 
to  separate  the  school  library  which  belongs  to  the  school 
equipment  from  the  public  library  which  belongs  to  the 
people;  and,  placing  the  latter  in  the  care  of  an  independent 
board,  to  make  special  provisions  for  supervision  and  state 
aid  under  the  fostering  care  of  the  regents  of  the  university 
of  the  State  of  New  York.  Then,  for  the  first  time,  the 
state  provided  a  library  for  the  public  schools,  defining  in 
the  statute  its  character  and  the  use  to  which  it  was  lim- 
ited; continuing  the  annual  appropriation  of  $55,000  to  be 
claimed  wholly  by  the  school  library  after  one  year's  divi- 
sion of  it  between  the  school  and  the  new  public  library  in- 
terest. The  way  of  separation  and  transfer  of  books  and 
property  was  indicated  in  the  act.  There  were  then  about 
three  hundred  active  libraries  reported  in  the  charge  of  school 
authorities.  In  three  years  forty-five  districts  have  estab- 
lished public  libraries  under  the  new  law,  transferring  for 
the  purpose  about  100,000  volumes.  Some  of  these  libraries 
were  small;  one  beginning  anew  with  forty-two  books  and 
$75.00.  Most  were  in  excess  of  three  hundred  volumes.  Some 
were  city  libraries,  as  Utica  with  10,000,  Yonkers  with  9.000, 
Niagara  Falls  with  4,500  and  Lockport  with  4,000.  Syracuse, 
with  20,000  volumes,  then,  the  largest  library  of  this  class 
in  the  state,  reached  the  same  result  by  an  amendment  of 
the  city  charter.  Out  of  ninety-seven  libraries  chartered 
by  the    regents   in   the   last   three   j'^ears   forty-five    had    been 


104  ^  WILLIAM  R.  EASTMAN 

district  libraries,  and  every  one  of  them  has  taken  a  new 
lease  of  life.  In  every  case,  there  has  been  quickened  in- 
terest, important  additions  of  books  and  a  greatly  increased 
circulation.  Whether  this  interest  shall  continue  and  bear 
still  better  fruit  must  depend  upon  the  intelligent  efforts 
of  all  those  in  each  community  who  know  the  worth  of 
books. 

The  fundamental  matter  of  a  separate  organization  is 
specially  important  just  now  when  the  schools  that  Have 
been  holding  the  libraries  for  years,  wish  to  understand  the 
reason  for  a  change..  But  this  is  very  far  from  being  all 
that  should  be  said  about  the  school  and  the  library.  If 
they  are  separate,  if  they  are  friendly,  if  each  is  fully  fur- 
nished, what   then? 

Library  and  school  must  help  each  other.  The  alliance 
between  them  should  be  direct,  personal,  intimate.  And  if 
you  ask  whether  librarian  or  teacher  should  first  make  -ad- 
vances to  the  other,  there  is  no  adequate  answer  except 
to  say,  both.  Neither  should  wait.  It  is  the  business  of 
the  librarian  to  know  what  is  going  on  in  the  school.  No 
one  has  more  need  to  be  fully  abreast  of  the  times  to  make 
his  selection  and  display  of  books  fit  in  with  the  movements 
that  are  in  the  air.  The  work  of  the  class-room  is  the  cur- 
rent question  with  the  pupil,  and  the  library  should  be  in 
close  touch  with  it  and  with  the  persons  who  direct  that 
work.  Where  graded  reading  lists  are  used,  the  library 
must  be  furnished  for  the  demand.  And,  more  than  that, 
every  classroon,  from  kindergarten  to  high  school  should, 
now  and  then,  have  a  personal  word  from  the  librarian.  In 
other  words,  the  public  library  idea  should  be  impersonated 
in  every  schoolroom.  Library  boards  should  not  merely 
consent  to  this  visitation,  but  should  expect  and  pay  for 
it  as  an  official  service  to  be  rendered  by  their  librarian  in 
office  hours.  In  the  city  of  Gloversville  the  relation  of  school 
to  library  is  reduced  to  a  system.  In  primary  classes  the 
teacher  now  and  then  reads  a  book  from  the  public  library. 
In  the  intermediate  grade  there  is  a  weekly  lesson  on  some 
topic  independent  of  school  work,  selected  by  the  teacher 
to  be  worked  up  at  the  library  by  the  pupils.     In  grammar 


LIBRARY  AND  SCHOOL 


lO: 


iiul  high  school,  pupils  are  required  to  give,  once  a  week, 
iiiforniatiou  on  subjects  gained  at  the  library,  and,  once 
in  the  term,  to  present  a  composition  which  shall  be  the 
synopsis  of  a  book.  The  librarian  visits  the  schools  in  turn 
by  special  appointment  and  talks  on  some  subject  previously 
selected  by  the  school,  explaining  the  methods  of  obtaining 
information   thereon. 

This  is  the  librarian's  side  of  it  and  let  me  say  that 
now   librarianship  has   become   a   profession. 

On  the  other  hand  the  teacher  who  has  heart  in  his 
work  will  visit  the  library  to  know  its  resources,  and  to 
make  known  his  own  wishes  as  to  its  development.  And 
having  learned  what  can  be  done  with  that  particular  col- 
lection of  books,  he  carries  the  news  to  the  class  room  and 
sends  a  hungry  contingent  of  readers  to  the  library.  Per- 
haps,  if  some  scholars  are  slow  to  take  advantage  of  the 
offer,  or  if  the  distance  is  considerable  as  in  country  dis- 
tricts, the  teacher  may  undertake  to  carry  on  a  branch  for 
the  school,  selecting  a  package  of  20,  30  or  more  books; 
holding  them,  possibly,  for  a  term  and  distributing  to  the 
class.  All  this  can  be  readily  arranged.  Then  the  teacher 
can  call  for  reports  of  reading  by  oral  account  or  by  re- 
quiring  the   filling   of  printed   blanks. 

It  is  true  that  city  libraries  and  country  libraries  are 
not  the  same;  but  in  regard  to  all  it  may  be  said  that 
teachers  and  librarians  should  hold  frank  and  frequent  con- 
sultations to  devise  the  best  thing  possible  in  the  circum- 
stances; school  board  and  library  board  should  have  a  com- 
plete understanding.  Special  occasions  may  be  contrived 
and  hospitality  exercised,  now  by  one  side  now  by  the  other 
to  promote  personal  acquaintance,  cordial  sympathy,  and 
thorough  knowledge  of  each  other's  work.  These  two  fac- 
tors can  be  then  brought  together,  the  school  and  the  library. 
Each  has  its  own  point  of  view,  each  contributes  its  share; 
and  these  distinct  agencies,  working  on  parallel  lines  for 
one  end,  will  join  hands  and  prove  that  two  are  better  than 
one.  In  fact  we  all  need  enlarged  ideas  as  to  the  scope  of  this 
whole  library  business  and  to  understand  that  it  means  far 
more  than  to  pass  books  over  the  counter.     It  is  a  business 


io6  WILLIAM  R.  EASTMAN 

as  well  as  a  profession  and  one  that  can  be  pushed  and  that 
ought  to  be  pushed  in  every  school  room  in  the  state.  The 
children  will  be  sure  to  respond. 

And  there  are  other  considerations.  If  the  public  library 
seeks  for  means  to  extend  its  influence  and  enlarge  its  re- 
sources there  is  no  advertisement  more  effective  than  the 
free  use  of  it  by  pupils.  They  go  everywhere  and  spread 
the  news.  The  children  make  institutions  popular.  The 
voter  will  cheerfully  tax  himself  for  the  children,  if  he  has 
them.  And  if  he  has  none  the  needs  of  the  children  will 
touch  him  at  a  tender  spot.  It  is  not  only  tenderness  but 
good  sense.  All  men  know  that  good  schools  are  a  bless- 
ing and  they  will  soon  learn  that  a  good  library  is  also 
a  center  of  power  and  attraction;  that  it  helps  make  good 
citizens,  and  that  it  will  often  serve  to  bring  into  the  town 
good  taxpayers  that  contribute  far  more  than  the  library 
costs.  People  that  are  able  to  choose  would  rather  live 
in  a  village  where  there  is  a  good  library.  It  will  pay!  Make 
it  worth  while  then  for  the  schools  to  push  the  library;  and 
let  the  library  help  the  schools.  Supply  the  books  they  want; 
keep  in  touch  with  their  work;  ask  their  advice;  make  up 
lists  for  every  special  occasion  and  subject;  lend  freely, 
counting  the  teacher  the  most  favored  applicant.  Invite 
teachers  to  explore  the  shelves;  invite  pupils  to  do  the  same, 
under  such  restriction  as  may  be  found  necessary  in  each 
case,  and  build  a  building  in  which  all  this  can  be  done. 

Now  it  is  evident  that  all  this  implies  the  development 
of  the  public  library  in  all  our  communities  on  a  scale  which 
few  school  boards  will  feel  justified  in  adopting  so  long 
as  the  library  is  only  a  part  of  the  school.  This  development 
means  more  books  and  new  books,  plenty  of  them  ever}' 
year.  It  means  more  room  to  handle  and  store  the  books, 
and  opportunities  to  read  them  at  places  easily  accessible 
and  open  many  hours  a  day.  It  means  skilled  management 
both  by  trustees  and  li1)rarian  with  capable  attendants  and 
suitable  equipment.  And  because  all  this  must  be  paid  for 
there  is  the  more  need  of  its  being  set  before  the  public  as 
a  distinct  and  most  worthy  object  of  expense.  The  library 
is   no  longer   a  matter  that  can  be   hidden  under  the   broad 


LIBRARY  AND   SCHOOL  107 

mantle  of  the  schools.  As  well  oonfinc  the  young  bird  to 
his  nest.  It's  a  growing;  thing  with  an  independent  life. 
Let  us  treat  it  so.  It  can  be  paid  for  if  it  is  wanted.  A 
village  builds  sewers  because  both  health  and  the  value  of 
property  demand  the  expense.  If  they  want  electric  lights 
they  say  so  and  pay  the  bill.  They  furnish  music  in  the 
park,  and  there  is  a  greater  necessity  as  well  as  a  luxury 
here,  if  you  can  make  them  see  it.  The  most  generous  sup- 
port of  the  public  library  will  make  only  a  trivial  item  by 
the  side  of  these  other  things  against  the  tax  roll  of  a 
thriving  village,  and  if  the  thing  is  worth  doing  at  all,  it 
is  worth  doing  well.  Let  it  be  a  s(iuare  appeal  for  the  public 
library  on  its  merits,  with  somebody  expressly  in  charge  to 
see  that  its  merits  are  not  overlooked.  Generous  treatment 
will  pay  best.  The  state  has  made  special  library  appropria- 
tions for  four  years.  It  is  ready  to  help  any  who  help  them- 
selves whether  in  district,  town,  village  or  city.  The  schools 
have  it  in  their  power  to  press  the  movement  and  reap  the 
advantage. 


REPORT  OX  READING  FOR  THE  YOUNG 

^liss  Stearns's  report  on  "Reading  for  the  Young," 
commended  by  ]Miss  Rathbone  so  highly  in  her  con- 
spectus, is  given  here  in  full,  although  it  is  somewhat 
statistical  and  although  it  bears  as  much  upon  what  we 
now  call  library  work  with  children,  as  upon  work  with 
schools.  This  very  fact  may  serve  to  show;  that  these 
two  branches  of  library  activity  had  not  begun  to  be 
differentiated  in  1894.  The  report  is  one  of  an  annual 
series  made  for  several  years  at  the  conferences  of  the 
A.  L.  A. 

Lutie  Eugenia  Stearns  was  born  in  Stoughton,  ]\Iass. 
and  graduated  from  the  State  Normal  School  of  Milwau- 
kee, Wis.,  in  1887.  After  two  years  of  teaching  in  the 
public  schools  she  entered  library  w^ork  in  the  ^Milwaukee 
Public  Library,  where  she  was  one  of  the  first  in  the 
United  States  to  organize  work  wdth  children  and  to  in- 
sist on  its  importance.  Wdien  this  report  was  written  she 
was  in  charge  of  the  library's  Circulating  Department. 
Since  1897  she  has  been  connected  with  the  Wisconsin 
Library  Commission,  of  whose  Travelling  Library  De- 
partment she  is  now  the  head. 

For  the  purposes  of  this  report  fifteen  questions,  indi- 
cated by  the  headings  below,  were  sent  to  one  hundred  and 
ninety-five  libraries  in  the  United  States  and  Canada.  Full 
and  complete  replies  were  received  from  one  hundred  and 
forty-five  librarians  to  whom  grateful  acknowledgment  is 
now  made. 


no  -  LUTIE  E.  STEARNS 

I.  At  what  age  may  children  draw  books?  Why  do  you 
have  an  age  limit? 

Thirty  per  cent,  of  the  libraries  reporting,  have  no  age 
limit,  the  seventy  per  cent,  varying  from  eight  to  sixteen 
years  of  age — the  average  age  requirement  being  thirteen 
years. 

Various  reasons  are  given  for  an  age  restriction.  "We 
must  preserve  our  books"  is  oft  repeated. 

Milwaukee  has  never  had  an  age  limit,  and  the  first  case 
of  malicious  destruction  or  injury  is  yet  to  be  reported.  No 
better  recommendation  can  possibly  be  given  for  a  good 
book  than  to  have  it  literally  wear  out. 

"We  must  draw  the  line  somewhere,"  say  other  li- 
brarians. 

At  the  London  Conference  of  1877,  Sir  Redmond  Barry. 
Librarian  at  Melbourne,  said  that  if  it  were  necessary  to  de- 
prive people  of  seven  years'  reading,  it  would  be  better  to 
strike  off  the  seven  years  at  the  other  end,  and  disqualify 
people  at  sixty-three;  adding,  that  that  view  of  his  was  a 
very  unprejudiced  one,  as  such  a  one  would  exclude  himself. 

"Our  books  are  not  suited  to  young  people." 

Nothing  is  of  more  importance  in  education  than  furnish- 
ing young  people  with  the  best  literature.  Mr.  Horace  E. 
Scudder  has  said: 

"There  can  be  no  manner  of  question  that  between  the 
ages  of  six  and  sixteen,  a  large  part  of  the  best  literature  of 
the  world  may  be  read,  and  that  the  man  or  woman  who  has 
failed  to  become  acquainted  with  great  literature  in  some 
form  during  that  time,  is  little  likely  to  have  a  taste  formed 
later." 

There  has  never  been  a  time  when  a  little  money,  judi- 
ciously expended,  would  go  so  far  in  the  purchase  of  the 
best  literature  for  children.  Stories,  fables,  myths,  and 
simple  poems,  which  have  been  read  with  delight  by  count- 
less generations,  may  be  purchased  in  most  durable  cloth 
bindings,  at  an  average  cost  of  thirty-two  cents. 

Children  will  read;  if  wholesome  reading-matter  is  not 
furnished  them,  they  will  read  what  they  can  get  of  their 
own  accord. 


READING  FOR  Till-:  YOUNG  in 

Many  libraries  report  that  there  is  practically  no  limit, 
as  children  under  fourteen  use  the  parent's  card;  but  throu^di 
this  method  the  parent  suffers  from  the  restriction,  as  it  is 
obvious  that  the  parent  and  his  son  cannot  use  the  card  at 
the  same  time.  The  greatest  complaint  among  the  librarians 
is  the  lack  of  supervision  of  the  children's  reading,  on  the 
part  of  the  parents;  and  yet  these  same  neglectful  parents 
are  entrusted  with  the  task  of  taking  out  cards  so  that  their 
children  may  receive  books  at  the  library! 

The  tendency  among  progressive  libraries  is  toward  the 
abolishment  of  the  age  restriction.  J.  C.  Dana,  of  Denver, 
Col.,  writes: 

"We  give  a  child  a  card  as  soon  as  he  can  read.  Chil- 
dren too  young  to  read,  get  cards  for  books  to  be  read  to 
them." 

Aliss  Perkins,  Ilion  (N.  Y.)  Free  Public  Library,  writes: 

"We  have  no  age  limit,  because  we  wish  children  trained 
to  love  books  from  their  earliest  recollection.  Our  library 
contains  linen  and  pasteboard  nursery  books  which  are 
drawn  on  card  in  name  of  child,  with  parent  for  guarantor." 
(And  this  is  a  library  of  6,000  volumes,  in  a  city  of  4,000  in- 
habitants.) 

Miss  Hasse,  Asst.  Librarian  of  Los  Angeles,  writes: 

"We  have  an  age  limit  of  twelve  years,  for  no  other  rea- 
son than  because  we  are  the  victims  of  an  absurd  library 
custom,  adopted  before  we  knew  better." 

Mr.  Crunden,  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  says: 

"No  age  limit.  Don't  believe  in  it.  Let  children  take 
books  as  soon  as  they  can  read." 

Mrs.  Wrigley,  Richmond,  Ind.,  says: 

"A  child  may  take  a  book  when  he  can  carr}^  it  home 
safely." 

Mrs.  Sanders,  Pawtucket,  R.  L: 

"We  have  no  age  limit.  Every  pupil  of  the  schools, 
either  public  or  private,  is  expected  to  have  a  card." 

The  librarian  at  Greeley,  Col.,  writes: 

"Children  take  books  when  they  are  old  enough  to  know 
pictures — usually  at   five  years." 


112  -  LUTIE  E.  STEARNS 

The  librarian  of  a  Vermont  library,  who  shall  be  name- 
less,  for  obvious  reasons,  writes: 

"Our  trustees  are  not  progressive,  and  not  willing  to 
change." 

Miss  Hewins,  Hartford,  Conn.,  says: 

"We  have  no  age  limit.  A  child  may  draw  a  book  as 
soon  as  he  can  write  his  name.  I  wish  that  the  age  limit 
might  be  abolished  in  all  libraries." 

The  librarian  who  studies  school  statistics  cannot  help 
being  impressed  with  the  grave  necessity  for  the  extension 
of  library  privileges  unto  the  smallest  child.  In  Milwaukee, 
out  of  5,766  children  who  entered  the  schools  in  1885,  we 
find  but  687  graduating  eight  years  later.  If  we  had  an  age 
limit  in  Milwaukee,  we  would  reach  but  twelve  per  cent,  of 
the  number  in  school,  to  say  nothing  of  the  thousands  out 
of  school. 

In  Jersey  City  (school  census  of  1891),  we  find  more 
than  half  of  those  attending  school  in  the  first  four  grades, 
from  six  to  ten  years  of  age.  San  Francisco  (census  of  1892) 
has  87,000  children  between  five  and  seventeen  years  of  age. 
Of  this  number,  40,000  attend  school  (less  than  half),  and 
sixty-four  per  cent,  of  the  number  attending  are  found  in 
the  first  five  grades.  Of  Boston's  school  population,  ninety- 
three  per  cent,  are  found  in  the  primary  and  grammar  de- 
partments. Minneapolis  has  25,000  school  children — 22,000 
under  fifteen  years  of  age.  St.  Louis  has  56,000  children 
under  fourteen,  each  one  of  whom  may  have  a  card  as  soon 
as  he  can  write  his  name. 

One  library  with  an  age  limit  of  fourteen  years,  reports 
that  not  more  than  half  a  dozen  children  under  twelve,  use 
the  library — and  this  in  the  face  of  the  fact  that  there  are 
41,000  children  under  fourteen  in  that  city. 

Protect  the  library's  interests  by  a  proper  form  of  guar- 
antee, remove  the  age  restriction,  and  bid  every  child  wel- 
come. In  this  age  of  trash  and  printed  wickedness,  when  a 
professor  in  one  of  our  western  universities  feels  tempted  to 
say  that  the  youth  of  this  country  would  grow  up  to  better 
citizenship  and  stauncher  virtue,  were  they  not  taught  to 
read,  and  when  Frederic  Harrison  sees  on  every  side  the 
poisonous    inhalations    of    literary    garbage,    and    bad    men's 


READING  FOR  TFIE  YOUNG  113 

worse  thoughts,  which  drive  him  to  exclaim  that  he  could 
almost  reckon  the  printing  press  as  amongst  the  scourges 
of  mankind — when  we  hear  all  this,  and  see  for  ourselves, 
bad  literature  on  every  hand,  is  it  not  a  pitiful  spectacle  to 
see  this  sign  conspicuously  displayed  in  one  of  the  circulat- 
ing libraries  in  this  country — "Children  not  allowed  in  this 

LIBRARY." 

In  opposition  to  such  cruelty  as  this,  let  us  quote  the 
w^ords  of  the  late  Dr.  Poole  of  Chicago: 

"I  could  never  see  the  propriety  of  excluding  young  per- 
sons from  a  library,  any  more  than  from  a  church.  From 
ten  to  fourteen  is  the  formative  period  of  their  lives.  If 
they  ever  become  readers,  and  acquire  a  love  of  books,  it 
is  before  the  age  of  fourteen  years.  No  persons  return  their 
books  so  promptly,  give  so  little  trouble,  or  seem  to  appre- 
ciate more  highly  the  benefits  of  a  library,  as  these  youth  of 
both  sexes. 

''The  young  people  are  our  best  friends,  and  they  serve 
the  interests  of  the  library  by  enlisting  for  it  the  sympathies 
of  their  parents,  who  are  often  too  busy  to  read." 

No  assistant  should  be  employed  in  the  circulating,  ref- 
erence, or  reading-room  departments  of  a  library,  who  will 
not  give  a  child  as  courteous  and  considerate  attention  as 
she  would  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees. 

II.  Do  the  children  use  the  library  to  an  appreciable 
extent? 

This  is  answered  in  the  affirmative  in  nearly  every  case; 
variously  stated  as  one-fifth,  one-fourth,  one-third,  and  one- 
half  of  membership  under  sixteen  years  of  age. 

III.  Is  the  number  of  books  a  child  may  take  per  week, 
restricted? 

One  hundred  and  fifteen  libraries  report  no  restriction. 
Oswego,  N.  Y.,  Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  Terre  Haute,  Ind.,  allow 
but  one  book  per  week.  Hartford,  Conn.,  and  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  issue  but  one  story-book  to  children  under  fourteen, 
while  schools  are  in  session.  Newburgh,  N.  Y.,  allows  those 
under  ten  years,  but  one  book  per  week. 

Two  books  per  week — Germantown,  Penn.,  Memphis, 
Tenn.,    Grand    Rapids,    Mich.,    La    Crosse,    Wis.,    Richmond, 


114  LUTIE  E.  STEARNS 

Ind.,  Kalamazoo,  Mich.,  Nashua,  N.  H.,  Hamilton,  Ont., 
Evansville,  Ind.,  Watertown,  Mass. 

Three  books — Fond  du  Lac,  Wis.,  Evanston,  111.,  Fitch- 
burg,  Mass.,  Springfield,  Mass.,  San  Francisco,  Cal.,  Barry, 
111. 

Twelve  per  week — Elgin,  111. 

IV.  What  per  cent,  of  your  circulation,  is  children's 
fiction? 

The  average  is  about  twenty  per  cent,  of  the  entire  cir- 
culation. 

V.  Do  you  circulate  Alger,  Optic,  Castlemon,  Trow- 
bridge,  and  kindred   authors? 

Nine  libraries  report  that  they  do  not  circulate  any  of 
the  above-named.  Eighteen  libraries  are  allowing  the  first 
three  to  wear  out  without  replacing.  Twenty-five  libraries 
circulate  Trowbridge  only.  There  seems  to  be  a  great  diff- 
erence of  opinion  in  regard  to  the  relative  value  and  worth 
of  these  authors.     One  librarian  writes: 

"Our  set  of  Alger  and  Trowbridge  are  worn  out  and  not 
replaced.  Poor,  thin,  much-abused  Optic  helps  boys  to  read, 
and  leads  up  to  stronger  books;"  while  another  librarian 
says:  "I  consider  that  Alger  and  Castlemon  have  done  ir- 
reparable injury  to  our  boys,  in  their  taste  for  more  solid 
reading.  Since  their  purchase,  solid  reading  for  children  has 
fallen  ofif  ten  per  cent." 

Bufifalo,   N.  Y.,   (partly  subscription)    reports: 

"One  set  of  Alger,  some  of  Optic  and  Castlemon's  is- 
sued on  demand  to  holders  of  membership  tickets,  but  their 
use  is  discouraged,  and  none  given  to  holders  of  school 
tickets." 

Pawtucket,  R.  I.,  removed  Castlemon  from  the  shelves, 
two  years  ago,  but  circulates  Trowbridge.  Milwaukee,  Wis., 
has  Trowbridge,  only,  for  which  there  is  but  little  demand. 
Trowbridge  is  not  sent  to  schools,  and  we  find,  at  the  main 
library,  that  our  boys  prefer   something  better. 

VI.  Do  you  have  special  lists  or  catalogues  for  children? 
State  price,  if  not  free. 

The  majority  of  libraries  merely  designate  children's 
books  by  some  sign  in  the  main  catalogue.  Twenty-five  li- 
braries   report    special   printed   catalogues,   varying   in   price 


I 


i 


RKADTNG  FOR  TTTE  YOUXG  115 

from  one  cent  to  fifteen  cents.  Many  are  issued  free.  Many 
libraries  use  Sargent's  and  Hardy's  lists,  with  numbers  in- 
serted. Four  have  special  card-catalogues  for  children's  use. 
Some  designate  a  child's  book  by  a  colored  card,  while  one 
librarian  enters  books  for  children  under  twelve,  on  yellow 
cards,  and  from  twelve  to  eighteen  years  of  age,  on  blue. 
Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.,  has  a  set  of  nine  small  lists  adapted  to 
various  ages.  Miss  Hewins'  (Hartford,  Conn.)  catalogue  is 
worthy  of  special  commendation.  The  "List  of  books  for 
Township  Libraries,"  prepared  by  Mr.  Frank  A.  Hutchins, 
State  Superintendent's  Office,  Madison,  Wis.,  is  a  model  list, 
in  ever}^  particular,  and  may  be  obtained  for  the  asking. 

Milwaukee,  Wis.,  has  a  children's  catalogue,  and  also 
prints  lists  of  "150  good  books  for  girls,"  and  "150  good  books 
for  bo3's,"  which  are  issued  free,  and  used  as  call-slips  by 
the  children.  The  list  is  kept  in  the  pocket  of  the  book  with 
the  card.  These  lists  are  used  by  ninety-nine  per  cent,  of 
the  children.  We  thus  direct  the  reading  of  the  young  by 
calling  attention  to  the  best  books.  (We  shall  be  glad  to 
send  these  lists  to  all  who  desire  them.) 

VII.  Do  you  have  Teachers'  cards?  How  many  books  may 
be  drawn  at  a  time?  Are  these  books  issued  by  teachers  to 
pupils,  or  used  solely  for  reference? 

One-third  of  those  reporting  make  no  distinction  between 
teachers  and  other  borrowers.  Others  issue  a  card  upon 
which  teachers  may  take  from  two  to  twenty  books — the 
average  being  six.  Some  libraries  restrict  the  use  of  these 
books  to  reference  in  the  school-room,  while  others  leave  it 
optional  with  the  teacher. 

If  the  object  of  this  privilege  is  for  purposes  of  refer- 
ence, it  is  a  wise  one  to  follow;  but  if  its  aim  is  to  supply 
additional  reading-matter  to  pupils,  it  is  meagre  in  the  ex- 
treme— the  tendency  being  to  get  books  dealing  with  studies 
taught,  rather  than  good  literature  for  children.  To  "Let 
teachers  have  as  many  as  they  can  use"  is  the  rule  in  an  in- 
creasing number  of  libraries. 

VIII.  Do  you  send  books  to  schools  in  proportion  to  size 
of  classes,  i.  e.,  fifty  pupils — fifty  books,  to  be  issued  by  teach- 
ers to  pupils  for  home  use? 


ii6  ^  LUTIE  E.  STEARNS 

Some  one  has  truly  said,  "In  the  work  of  popular  edu- 
cation through  libraries,  it  is,  after  all,  not  the  few  great  li- 
braries, but  the  thousand  smaller  ones  that  may  do  most  for 
the  people."  Greatness  of  cities  hampers  individual  work. 
The  librarian  knows,  from  the  school  census,  that  there  are 
34,000  children,  between  six  and  fourteen  years  of  age,  in 
his  city.  By  abolishing  the  age  requirement,  he  ma}^  reach 
those  in  the  vicinity  of  the  library;  but  what  of  the  thousands 
in  the  home  districts — many  of  whom  have  never  heard  of 
the   existence   of  the   library? 

It  seems  to  us  that  the  teacher,  the  one  who  guides  and 
educates,  the  one  who  knows  best  the  individual  preferences 
and  capacities  of  her  pupils — it  is  the  teacher  who  should 
direct  the  reading.  The  process  is  most  simple.  The  teacher 
comes  to  the  library  and  selects  from  the  shelves  a  number 
of  books,  in  -proportion  to  the  size  of  her  class,  i.  e.,  fifty 
pupils— fifty  books.  These  are  sent  to  the  schools,  and  is- 
sued by  the  teachers  for  home  use.  The  selection  is  made 
from  all  branches  of  literature — mythology,  science,  useful 
arts,  fine  arts,  poetry,  history,  travel,  biography,  fairy  stories, 
stories  of  adventure,  &c.,  &c.  The  books  are  not  intended, 
primarily,  to  supplement  the  school  work.  They  should  be 
"books  of  inspiration"  rather  than  those  of  information;  for 
"knowledge  alone  cannot  make  character."  Another  great 
object  should  be  to  create  a  love  for  books;  for  "What  we 
make  children  love  and  desire  is  more  important  than  what 
we  make   them   learn." 

Each  pupil  should  be  provided  with  a  library  card — 
with  parent  as  guarantor — thus  relieving  the  teacher's  re- 
sponsibility. 

Cleveland,  Ohio,  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  Hartford,  Conn., 
Grand  Rapids,  Mich.,  Bridgeport,  Conn.,  Lancaster,  Mass., 
Chicago,  111.,  Burlington,  Vt,  Dover,  N.  H.,  and  Milwaukee, 
Wis.,  carry  on  this  work  to  a  greater  or  less  extent.  Los 
Angeles,  Cal.,  sent  14,075  books  to  the  schools  from  Septem- 
ber, 1893  to  May  30,  1894,  a  remarkable  showing.  Grand 
Rapids,  Mich.,  issued  3,415  books,  which  were  circulated 
15,905  times.  Cleveland,  Ohio,  sent  4,708  volumes,  the  num- 
ber of  issues  being  38,031,  the  books  being  kept  at  the  school 
during  the  school  year.      (See  "The   Open   Shelf"  for  June, 


READING  FOR  THE  YOUNG  117 

1894,  published  by  Cleveland  Pub.  Lib. — for  description  of 
school  circulation.) 

A  few  statistics  may  demonstrate  the  growth  of  this 
plan  in  Milwaukee.  In  1888 — the  year  of  its  inauguration, 
1,650  books  were  issued  by  teachers,  4,702  times.  During 
the  school  year  1893-94,  i4»990  books  were  issued  42,863 
times — the  number  of  books  sent  being  limited  only  by  the 
supply  at  our  command.  The  books  were  returned  to  the 
library  at  the  expiration  of  eight  weeks,  when  a  new  selec- 
tion was  made  by  the  teacher.  It  must  be  understood  that 
this  represents  the  number  of  books  read  at  home  by  the 
children.  Much  of  the  eighty  per  cent,  increase  in  the  cir- 
culation at  the  library,  during  the  past  winter,  was  due,  not 
alone  to  the  hard  times,  but  to  the  advertising  which  the 
library   received   in   the   homes,   through   the    schools. 

Many  teachers  select  books  for  the  parents  and  older 
brothers  and  sisters  of  their  pupils.  The  system  of  school 
circulation  is  being  gradually  extended,  until  it  will  eventually 
embrace  every  grade  of  every  school — public,  private,  paro- 
chial and  Sunday-school,  which  can  be  induced  to  avail  them- 
selves 01  the  privilege. 

There  are  many  methods  of  awakening  the  teachers'  in- 
terest in  the  matter  of  school  distribution.  We  visit  the 
class-rooms  of  the  public  schools  and  tell  the  children  stories, 
thereby  arousing  a  desire  for  books;  we  urge  upon  the 
teachers  the  necessity  of  furnishing  the  young  with  the  best 
literature.  Our  superintendent  of  schools  gives  our  system 
the  heartiest  encouragement  and  support.  That  he  deems 
the  plan  of  the  greatest  importance,  will  be  shown  in  an 
article  by  him  on  "The  Public  Library  and  Public  Schools," 
in  the  Educational  Review  (Nov.  1894).     (See  page  89.) 

IX.  Do  you  send  a  number  of  copies  of  the  same  work 
to  schools  for  supplemental  reading? 

Detroit,  Jersey  City,  and  St.  Louis  carry  on  this  work 
extensively.  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  has  six  sets  of  fifty  copies  each 
of  Scudder's  Folk  Tales,  Franklin's  autobiography,  &c.,  which 
are  sent  from  one  school  to  another.  Jersey  City,  N.  J.,  is- 
sued 11,844  volumes  (twenty  sets),  in  this  manner,  during 
the  past  year.  The  books  are  carefully  graded,  and  meet  with 
much   favor.     Detroit   sent   17,290  books   to   the   schools,   for 


tt8  LUTIE  E.  STEARNS 

supplemental  reading-matter.     The  superintendent  of  schools 
of  Detroit,  in  his  annual  report  (1891)  says: 

"The  benefits  to  the  higher  grades,  from  the  circulating 
library,  furnished  by  the  Public  Library,  are  very  decided, 
and  there  is  a  perceptible  change  for  the  better  in  the  choice 
of  selections  made  by  the  pupils;  and  it  is  the  universal  tes- 
timony, that  there  is  a  growing  taste  for  good  reading, 
among  our  school  children." 

This  plan  of  school  distribution  has  much  to  commend 
it.  Educators  are  coming  to  realize  that  the  modern  school 
readers — the  "five  inanities" — are  directly  responsible  for  the 
habit  of  desultory  reading.  But  we  maintain  that  the  furnish- 
ing of  supplemental  reading-matter — to  be  read  in  school — 
lies  v^^holly  within  the  province  of  the  school  authorities  of 
our  cities.  As  Mr.  Cowell,  of  Liverpool,  says:  "We  leave 
the  school-board  to  provide  their  own  books,  as  they  have 
more  funds  at  their  disposal  than  we  have."  But  few  libra- 
ries can  afiford  to  furnish  such  books,  the  demands  of  the 
individual  tastes  of  the  child  being  more  than  can  be  ordi- 
narily supplied. 

X.  Do  you  circulate  pictures  in  schools  and  homes?  In 
what  form  issued? 

Newton,   Mass.,    Ilion,    N.   Y.,   Wilkes-Barre,    Penn.,    and 
Milwaukee,    Wis.,    circulate    linen    and    pasteboard    picture- 
books    among    the    smallest    children.      Gloversville,    N.    Y., 
sends  portfolios  of  photographs  to  teachers  who  wish  to  il 
lustrate  certain  lessons. 

Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  Denver,  Col.,  and  Milwaukee,  Wis., 
select  suitable  pictures  from  Hart>cr''s  JJ^cekly  and  Bazar, 
Leslie's,  Scientific  American,  &c.,  &c.,  which  are  mounted  on 
manila,  gray  bristol,  or  tag-board,  and  sent  to  the  schools. 
In  selecting  pictures,  it  should  be  the  aim  to  choose  those 
of  cTsthctic  value — training  the  child's  sense  of  beauty  and 
imagination.  Many,  of  course,  may  be  used  for  language, 
geography,  and  history  work.  Teachers  of  Milwaukee  organ- 
ize "pasting  and  cutting  bees,"  thus  relieving  the  library  of 
much  of  the  work. 

As  an  evidence  of  the  popularity  of  the  pictures,  in  Mil- 
waukee, we  have  but  to  cite  the  fact  that  thirteen  hundred 
pictures    were    circulated    in    the    schools,    during    May    and 


READING  FOR  THE  YOUNG  119 

June.  Los  Angeles  has  fifteen  luindred  pictures  at  the  dis- 
posal of  teachers.  (For  "Pictures  in  I'^lementary  Schools"  see 
Health  Exhibition  Literature,  vol.  13,  pp.  54-77,  and  Prang 
Educational   Papers,   Nos.   i   and  4.) 

XI.  Do  classes  visit  the  library? 

Forty-four  libraries  report  visits  of  classes  for  the  pur- 
pose of  viewing  art  works,  illustrated  books  of  travel,  &c., 
&c.  Lack  of  room  prevents  many  lil)raries  from  extending 
this   privilege. 

Gloversville,  N.  Y.,  organizes  children's  reading  circles, 
and  prepares  a  list  of  books  to  be  used  in  connection  with 
the  courses  of  reading.  The  topics  selected  are  generally 
supplementary  to  the  school  work.  At  the  weekly  meetings 
of  the  circles  in  the  class-room  at  the  library,  the  current 
events  of  the  week  are  also  discussed — in  this  way  guiding 
the  children  in  proper  newspaper  reading, 

XII.  (a)  Have  you  a  children's  reading-room?  (b)  Is 
there  a  special  window  in  circulating  department,  for  children? 

(a)  Minneapolis  devotes  the  lower  corridor  to  children. 
They  are  admitted  to  cases  and  tables  containing  their  books 
— books  being  charged  by  an  attendant  at  the  gate. 

Watertown,  Mass.,  gives  up  one  reading-room  to  chil- 
dren, placing  therein  periodicals,  bound  and  current,  and 
other  books  suited  to  the  young.  Cambridge,  Mass.,  are 
adding  a  children's  room,  in  which  they  intend  to  charge 
books.  Cleveland,  Ohio,  has  a  special  alcove  for  children. 
Omaha,  Neb.,  has  a  special  department,  in  its  new  building, 
for  book  and  picture  displays,  special  study  rooms,  and  one 
"sample"  room,  in  which  will  be  placed  the  best  books  for 
children,  and  where  children,  parents  and  teachers  may  make 
selections. 

Some  libraries  set  aside  a  certain  part  of  their  reference 
and  reading-rooms  for  children's  use. 

(b)  Special  window  for   children: 

Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  "Disapproves  decidedly  of  all  such 
segregation." 

Dayton,  Ohio,  has  special  window  for  display  of  chil- 
dren's literature. 

Aguilar  Library  (New  York  City)   does  not  permit  chil- 


120  LUTIE  E.  STEARNS 

dren  to  change  books  after  six  p.  m.  (How  about  boys  and 
girls  who  work  from  seven  a.  m.  to  six  p.  m.?) 

Dover,  N.  H.,  "Have  no  such  pernicious  things  as  win- 
dows in  our  circulating  department.  We  have  an  open 
counter  across  which  human  intercourse  is  easy." 

XIII.  Have  you  a  special  supervisor  of  children's  reading? 
Alany  librarians  report  that  they  overlook  the  matter  in 

a  general  way,  some  making  it  their  specialty.  St.  Louis, 
Mo.,  has  just  engaged  an  experienced  teacher  for  that  pur- 
pose. 

Any  one  taking  this  work  could  find  an  exhaustless  mine 
of  opportunities-^some  of  which  have  been  hinted  at  under 
the   question  of  school  circulation. 

XIV.  What  other  important  work  are  you  doing  for  chil- 
dren,  not   included   in   these    questions? 

Indianapolis,  Ind.,  Cambridge,  Mass.,  and  San  Diego, 
Cal.,  publish,  each  week,  in  one  of  the  daily  papers,  a  list  of 
books  for  younger  readers,  on  electricity,  travel,  stories,  &c., 
or  on  some  special  topic  of  the  times.  These  lists  are  very 
popular. 

Many  libraries  place  books  pertaining  to  school  studies, 
on  special  shelves,  to  which  children  have  free  access. 

Bridgeport,  Conn.,  and  Fitchburg,  Mass.,  have  art  de- 
partments with  well-qualified  assistants  to  show  pictures 
to   children,  and  adults. 

Medford,  Mass.,  has  talks  given  to  the  children,  upon 
various  subjects,  by  friends  of  the  librarian. 

Omaha,  Neb.,  is  planning  delivery  stations  for  the  chil- 
dren. 

San  Diego,  Cal.,  "Turns  children  loose  among  the 
shelves  on  Sundays." 

Dover,  N.  H.,  issues  student's  cards,  on  which  any  stu- 
dent, old  or  young,  may  take  out  a  number  of  books  on  any 
special  topic. 

Peoria,  111.,  gives  two  cards  to  each  child  or  adult — one 
for  fiction  and  another  for  purposes  of  study. 

Portland,  Ore.,  Beaver  Dam,  Wis.,  Greeley,  Col.,  and 
others  allow  children  free  access  to  the  shelves. 

Free    Circulating    Libraries,    of    New    York    City,    have 


READING  FOR  THE  YOUNG  121 

"Children's  Shelves"  containing  the  best  books,  from  which 
parents  and  the  young  may  make  selections. 

Many  libraries  report  special  assistance  rendered  to 
Youths'  Debating  societies,  essay  writing,  &c. 

Gloversville,  N.  Y.,  organizes  reading  circles  (to  which 
reference  has  already  been  made). 

The  library  classes  at  Pratt  Institute,  Brooklyn,  and 
Armour  Institute,  Chicago,  are  starting  home  libraries  in 
slum  neighborhoods. 

Miss  James,  of  Wilkes-Barre,  has  organized  a  boys'  and 
young  men's  reading-room  in  a  similar  locality. 

Brookline,  Mass.,  places  college  and  school  catalogues 
in  reference-room  at  the  end  of  each  school  year. 

XV.  What  ideas  would  you  like  to  see  developed  in  con- 
nection with  the  broad  subject  of  Reading  for  the  Young? 

Miss  James,  of  Wilkes-Barre,  voices  the  sentiments  of 
many,  when  she  says:  "I  would  like  to  educate  the  grand- 
parents for  three  generations  back — ditto,  the  teachers." 
Twenty-five  per  cent,  of  the  librarians  deplore  lack  of  inter- 
est and  supervision  of  the  child's  reading,  on  the  part  of  the 
parents.  "Over-reading"  on  the  part  of  many  children  is 
another  cause  for  complaint.  The  idea  may  have  its  objec- 
tions, but  we  think  that  a  kindly,  tactful  letter  to  the  parent, 
might  have  its  influence. 

Great  care  should  be  exercised  in  the  selection  of  books 
for  the  young.  Purity  of  English  is  a  primary  consideration. 
Books  '"written  down"  to  children  should  be  avoided,  also 
those  books  which  do  not,  at  once,  fix  the  attention  of  the 
child.  What  the  boy  world  needs,  are  books  of  incident,  of 
lively  action,  of  absorbing  interest,  wholesome,  interesting, 
attractive,  in  good  English,  and  yet  free  from  the  ghastliness 
and  vulgarity  of  the  alluring  dime  novel. 

Many  librarians  advocate  courses  of  reading  in  connec- 
tion with  the  school  work;  certain  books  to  be  read  at  home, 
by  the  children,  and  then  discussed  in  the  school  room. 
Much  latitude  should  be  given  children  in  the  choice  of  books 
to  read — thus  not  making  it  a  task  but  encouraging  a  love  of 
reading. 

By  addressing  Teachers'  Institutes  and  meetings,  the 
librarian  or  supervisor  of  children's  reading  can  do  much  in 


122  ^  LUTIE  E.  STEARNS 

the  way  of  enlisting  the  aid  and  support  of  teachers.  We 
think  the  work  done  by  the  State  Normal  School,  and  Pub- 
lic Library,  of  Milwaukee,  is  unique  in  this  particular.  A 
course  of  library  reading  of  the  best  authors  is  required  of 
the  Normal  students,  thus  cultivating  the  tastes  of  the  future 
teachers  and  bringing  them  in  contact  with  the  resources  of 
the  library.  Hundreds  of  copies  of  the  best  books  for  chil- 
dren are  sent  to  the  Normal  school,  and  there  read  and  criti- 
cised by  the  students.  Lists  of  the  best  books  are  printed 
for  future  reference.  Children  in  neighboring  schools  send 
in  lists  of  books  they  prefer,  thus  giving  the  students  knowl- 
edge of  what  children  really  like  to  read.  By  talks  to  the 
students  at  the  Normal  school,  we  emphasize  the  importance 
of  the  work  from  the  librarian's,  teacher's  and  child's  point 
of  view. 

We  believe  there  are  many  fields  still  unexplored  in  the 
provinces  of  children's  reading.  Some  means,  for  example, 
should  be  devised,  in  the  large  cities,  to  send  books  to  fac- 
tories where   children   are  employed. 

Reading  rooms  should  be  opened,  evenings,  in  school 
buildings.  They  should  be  supplied  with  the  best  periodicals 
for  old  and  young,  and  if  possible,  interesting  books  adapted 
to  all  ages. 

Besides  study  and  class  rooms,  the  modern  library  should 
contain  a  hall,  to  which  children  may  come  for  instructive 
and  entertaining  lectures.  That  this  plan  is  feasible  is  shown 
by  the  course  of  free  lectures  given  in  the  reading  room  of 
the  library  at  Alameda,  Cal.,  during  the  past  winter,  to 
which  extended  reference  is  made  in  the  August  (1894) 
Library  Journal. 

The  circulation  of  lanterns  and  lantern  slides,  tennis  and 
croquet  sets  and  the  best  indoor  games — a  plan  advocated  by 
Miss  Kelso  (Los  Angeles,  Cal.) — meets  with  the  warmest 
approbation  from  all  lovers  of  children;  for  if  "Books  of  Re- 
freshment," why  not  "Games  of  Refreshment"? 

That  the  child  is  a  volume  to  be  studied,  applies  as  well 
to  library  as  pedagogical  science.  We  deprecate  the  spirit 
which  prompts  a  librarian  to  say,  "We  prefer  to  transact 
business  with  older  persons,  as  we  lose  time  in  making  in- 
fants understand."    As  opposed  to  this  are  the  words  of  an- 


READING  FOR  THE  YOUNG  123 

other  who  writes,  "Each  assistant  has  instruction  by  no 
means  to  neglect  the  children  for  the  adults."  The  modern 
library  spirit  may  be  expressed  in  the  words  of  Miss  Perkins 
of  Ilion,  N.  Y.,  who  says: 

"We  always  treat  children  with  the  same  consideration 
and  courtesy  as  grown  people.  We  make  them  love  to  come 
and  stay  here,  and  keep  in  touch  with  them  in  every  way 
possible." 

In  closing  our  report,  we  desire  to  submit  five  questions 
for  consideration: 

How  may  we  induce  parents  to  oversee  their  children's 
reading? 

How  may  we  make  the  guiding  of  her  pupils'  reading  a 
part  of  the  teacher's  work? 

What  can  be  done  to  help  a  boy  to  like  good  books 
after  he  has  fallen  into  the  dime  novel  habit? 

What  methods  have  been  used  with  success  in  develop- 
ing the  taste  of  children? 

What  form  of  catalogue,  if  any,  is  of  interest  and  value  to 
children? 

A  full  discussion  of  these  questions  will  be  helpful  to 
many  librarians  who  have  the  best  interests  of  their  child 
patrons  close  at  heart. 


THE  CHILD,  THE  SCHOOL  AND  THE  LIBRARY 

The  methods  used  in  Cleveland  and  the  principles  that 
inspired  their  adoption  are  set  forth  in  somewhat  greater 
detail  than  in  Mr.  Brett's  paper,  given  above,  in  an  ad- 
dress before  the  first  annual  meeting  of  the  Ohio  Library 
Association  in  1896  by  Miss  Linda  Eastman.  The  teach- 
ers of  the  Cleveland  Public  Schools  were  especially  in- 
vited to  this  session. 

Linda  Anne  Eastman  was  born  at  Oberlin,  O.,  in  1867 
and  educated  in  the  Cleveland  public  schools.  After 
teaching  in  them  for  seven  years  she  entered  library  work 
in  1892  and  in  the  year  when  this  article  was  written 
(1896)  became  vice-librarian  of  the  Cleveland  Public 
Library.  ^liss  Eastman  has  been  a  pioneer  in  work  with 
children  and  her  influence  in  guiding  American  libraries 
toward  sanity,  efficiency  and  beauty  has  been  as  contin- 
uous as  it  has  been  quiet. 

The  school  trains  the  child  in  the  use  of  his  powers  and 
faculties,  teaches  him  how  to  learn;  the  Hbrary  is  the  store- 
house of  wisdom.  So  brief  a  statement  of  facts  shows  at 
once  the  close  relation  between  these  two  institutions,  and 
that  the  former  in  great  measure  defeats  its  own  ends  if  it 
fail  to  lead  to  the  latter.  Discussions  of  this  question  have 
heretofore  dealt  mainly  with  methods  of  interesting  the  child 
in  reading  and  of  furnishing  him  with  books — of  attracting 
him  to  the  library  through  the  medium  of  the  schools.  It 
remains  to  pay  more  attention  to  the  means  by  which  he 
can  be  properly  trained  for  reading  and  research. 


126  LINDA  A.  EASTMAN 

The  school  looks  to  the  library  as  a  most  helpful  adjunct, 
and  encourages  the  child  to  use  it,  but  does  the  school 
prepare  him,  in  a  practical  way,  to  use  the  library?  Might 
not  more  be  done  for  the  average  child  whose  school  life 
ends  before  he  reaches  the  high  school?  He  has  such  a  piti- 
fully small  store  of  knowledge  to  face  the  world  with,  and 
how  little  chance  for  increasing  it!  To  this  child,  whose 
name  is  legion,  the  public  library  should  be  a  veritable  gold- 
mine; it  fails  of  being  so  simply  because  he  knows  not  the 
rudiments  of  the  art  of  mining. 

All  individual  research  in  the  world  of  books  requires 
some  foundation  of  knowledge  of  how  to  get  at  them — of 
the  short-cuts  that  indexes  and  tables  of  contents  afford, 
of  the  best  readers'  guides  and  how  to  use  them,  of  the  in- 
dispensable books  of  reference  and  the  fields  covered  by 
them.  Something  of  all  this  is  taught  in  the  schools  to-day 
— much  more  than  of  old — but  this  teaching  comes  rather  as 
the  result  of  the  interest  and  effort  of  individual  teachers 
than  as  a  necessary  part  of  the  school-work  which  no  teacher 
dare  overlook.  It  yet  needs  to  be  ingrafted  as  an  integral 
part  of  the  whole  course  of  study.  True,  that  course  of  study 
is  overcrowded,  and  we  would  not  add  another  branch — this 
teaching  should  become  part  of  the  work  in  every  branch. 
It  will  start  from  very  small  beginnings,  but  there  will  be, 
almost  from  the  first,  a  constant  broadening  of  the  child's 
mental  vision  and  an  added  zest  in  his  work. 

To  illustrate  the  commencement  of  it,  take  a  primary 
class  in  geography;  they  have  been  over  the  descriptive  part, 
say  of  North  America,  in  their  text-books,  have  had  it  pre- 
sented in  an  attractive  manner,  and  made  plain  with  the 
help  of  surface  and  production  maps,  etc.;  they  have  perhaps 
bec6me  interested  in  reading  King's  "This  continent  of 
ours,"  Smith's  "Our  own  country,"  or  others  of  the  books 
which  are  helping  to  add  interest  to  primary  geography;  but 
there  yet  remains  to  be  given  more  of  that  drill,  that  repeti- 
tion and  reiteration  of  the  facts  which  the  teacher  knows  to 
be  so  very  necessary  if  some  of  those  little  minds  are  to  re- 
tain the  knowledge  gained.  Suppose  that  at  this  point  she 
produces  some  half-dozen  of  the  best  elementary  geographies 
which    she    can    find— all    different;    she    then    teaches    them 


CHILD.  SCHOOL  AND   LIP,RAR^•  i_7 

how  to  find  for  themselves  the  subject  they  want  in  the 
strantre  books,  the  first  lesson  which  many  of  them  have  ever 
had  in  the  use  of  indexes  or  tables  of  contents — each  child 
will  be  eager  to  find  his  place  first,  and  the  remainder  of  the 
class  go  through  the  same  operation  with  their  own  text- 
books, for  heretofore  they  have  always  been  told  just  what 
page  to  turn  to,  and  have  had  no  practice  in  doing  it  in  this 
way.  They  then  proceed  to  see  what  these  different  authors 
say  about  the  principal  features  of  North  America,  compar- 
ing the  various  ways  of  saying  the  same  thing,  and  noticing 
any  new  points.  When  the  lesson  is  over,  what  will  have 
been  gained?  First,  the  main  object,  the  fixing  of  the  facts 
in  the  minds  of  the  children,  for  they  will  not  only  have 
gone  over  each  point  repeatedly,  but  each  time  thoughtfully 
and  critically.  Besides  this,  in  studying  the  numerous  forms 
of  expression  for  the  same  facts,  they  will  have  had  a  val- 
uable lesson  in  English;  some  of  them  will  have  had  practice 
in  sight-reading  from  new  books:  they  will  have  learned  to 
apply  the  term  author  to  the  writer  of  any  book,  and  not 
only  as  you  will  find  most  of  them  have  done  in  their  child- 
ish way  heretofore,  to  those  of  a  purely  literary  character. 
Most  important  of  all,  perhaps,  they  will  have  had  their  first 
practical  training  in  the  use  of  an  index,  as  a  little  begin- 
ning in  that  knowledge  which  is  to  make  them  more  pro- 
ficient in  the  use  of  books. 

This  work,  carried  on  up  through  the  grades,  should 
be  broadened  out  until  it  makes  them  acquainted  with  the 
names  of  the  great  travellers  and  explorers,  and  with  the 
most  interesting  and  best  books  of  travel  and  description 
of  the  countries  as  they  take  them  up — until  they  have  be- 
come familiar  with  the  standard  gazetteers  and  atlases, 
know  what  class  of  geographical  and  statistical  facts  to 
look  to  them  for,  and  how  to  consult  them  deftly  and  ac- 
curately: and  this  can  all  be  done,  both  incidentally  and 
beneficially  to  the  regular  work,  while  greatly  increasing  the 
children's  knowledge  of  books.  When,  for  instance,  the  sixth 
grade  is  studying  Switzerland,  the  teacher  asks  the  pupils 
to  bring  in  a  list  of  as  many  books  as  they  can  find  de- 
scribing that  country — the  children,  each  anxious  to  have  the 
best  list,  will  go  to  the  library  catalog  (there  should  always 


128  LINDA  A.  EASTMAN 

be  one  in  every  school-building),  will  make  inquiries  at 
home,  and  will,  whenever  possible,  visit  the  library  and  there 
consult  catalogs,  assistants,  and  the  books  themselves;  the 
children  will  then  be  asked  to  write  these  lists  upon  the 
blackboard,  in  alphabetical  order  as  they  would  be  in  a  cata- 
log— in  doing  this  a  great  many  more  little  points  will  be 
learned  than  are  apparent  at  first  thought,  and  it  should  be 
given  much  attention,  for  the  expert  use  of  the  catalog  is 
an  art  invaluable  to  the  student  as  a  saving  of  both  time 
and  patience.  A  few  such  lessons  are  needed  to  teach  the 
young  learner  that  in  title  entries  the  library  catalog  omits 
the  initial  article,  that  he  will  find  the  book  entitled  "The 
mountains  of  Switzerland"  under  '"Mountains"  and  not 
under  "The";  knowing  an  author  or  title,  and  wishing  to 
look  up  that  one  book,  he  will  learn  to  look  for  these  as 
simple  dictionary  entries,  so,  in  the  case  of  his  wanting  to 
know  who  wrote  "Scrambles  in  the  Alps,"  or  its  shelf- 
number,  he  turns  instantly  to  S  for  the  title;  lacking  any 
data  but  the  subject,  or  wishing  to  find  several  or  all  of  the 
books  on  the  subject,  he  will  look  under  Switzerland,  sub- 
division Travels. 

Through  this  means  the  teacher  and  the  librarian  will 
constantly  be  given  opportunities  for  recommending  those 
of  the  books  mentioned  which  are  best  suited  for  the  pupil's 
reading,  and  of  familiarizing  him  with  the  names  of  those 
which  may  be  beyond  him  now,  but  which  he  will  be  sure 
to  enjoy  when  he  is  older.  It  will  lead  him  on,  also,  into 
history  and  to  a  keener,  broader  interest  in  current  events. 
Geography  has  been  mentioned  simply  as  showing  some 
typical  possibilities — if  needless  details  seem  to  have  been 
given,  it  has  been  for  the  purpose  of  showing  that  what  is 
suggested  will  not  add  a  burden  of  new  work,  but  will  add 
interest  to  the  old,  and  that  it  can  begin  very  early.  The 
constant  tuition  in  books  and  their  use,  and  the  cultivation 
of  a  thoughtful  and  discriminating  taste  for  the  best,  can 
and  should  be  brought,  incidentally,  into  almost  every  branch 
of  study,  and  that,  too,  with  better  results  in  the  studies 
themselves;  the  reading,  the  language,  and  the  science  work 
all  invite  to  it,  while  the  history  offers  such  incentives  to 
this    kind     of    work    that    the    wonder     is    that     it    is     ever 


CHILD.  SCHOOL  AND  LIBRARY  129 

taught  in  any  other  way.  After  reaching  the  high  school 
the  pupil  should  take  a  long  stride  forward  in  the  acquisi- 
tion of  this  book  knowledge,  the  nature  of  the  studies  and 
the  greater  maturity  of  the  pupil  being  all  in  his  favor. 
Every  branch  in  the  curriculum  will  admit  of,  and  on  second 
thought  seem  almost  to  require,  at  least  a  comparative  study 
of  text-books,  of  learning  who  are  the  great  authorities, 
and  of  becoming  more  or  less  familiar  with  the  principal 
works  of  reference  on  the  subject;  the  literature  and  com- 
position classes  in  particular  will  give  an  opportunity  for 
much  systematic  drill  and  instruction  in  method  in  looking 
up  subjects,  in  the  intelligent  use  of  catalogs  and  subject 
lists,  of  Poole's  Index,  and  of  reviews  and  periodicals;  a 
correct  idea  should  be  gained  of  the  general  character  of  the 
principal  encyclopedias  and  the  distinctive  feature  of  each, 
that  they  may  know  which  are  best  to  refer  to  for  brief,  con- 
cise statements  of  facts,  for  long  and  scholarly  treatises, 
for  bibliographical  references,  for  recent  developments,  for 
matters  pertaining  to  our  own  country,  etc.,  while  it  is  quite 
worth  while  knowing  such  little  points  as  to  which  dictionary 
to  go  for  help  in  settling  the  question  of  beginning  a  certain 
word  wMth  a  capital  or  a  small  letter. 

It  is  a  big  subject  with  which  we  are  dealing,  this  in- 
struction in  the  use  of  books,  but  because  it  must  start  from 
such  small  beginnings,  because  it  must  lead  the  child's  mind 
up  and  out  from  utter  ignorance  to  a  never-ending  increase 
of  knowledge,  it  is  not,  therefore,  overwhelming — its  very 
bigness  and  fulness  are  an  inspiration  which  cannot  be  felt 
without  an  expansion  of  mind  to  meet  it.  It  is,  perhaps, 
well  that  there  is  no  room  for  it  in  the  already  overcrowded 
curriculum  as  a  separate  branch  of  study,  because,  if  the 
best  results  are  to  be  obtained,  it  must  be  interwoven  with 
everything  else  and  wherever  the  opportunity  ofifers.  Nor 
should  it  be,  on  this  account,  a  vague  and  intangible  subject 
to  plan  for  in  the  course — the  objects  to  be  attained  are  so 
definite,  the  means  so  abundant.  For  the  teacher  herself  it 
will  often  mean  nearly  as  much  growth  as  for  the  children, 
and  for  the  whole  school  course  it  will  be  a  constant  check 
on  the  tendency  to  slip  into  ruts  of  mechanical  and  routine 
work.     The    normal    school    should    give    special   preparation 


130  ^  LINDA  A.  EASTMAN 

for  it,  in  addition  to  that  excellent  feature  which  has  already 
found  place  in  some  of  these  schools,  a  study  of  juvenile  liter- 
ature from  an  educational  point  of  view. 

We  come  now  to  the  side  of  the  question  which  per- 
tains especially  to  the  library.  These  latter  years  have 
brought  wonderful  progress  in  library  science  and  economy, 
but  there  is  perhaps  nothing  which  shows  the  advance  of 
the  library  of  to-day  over  that  of  20  years  ago  more  than  the 
greater  importance  which  is  attached  to  the  work  with  the 
children.  The  work  of  the  librarian  has  come  to  be  regarded 
as  not  merely  incidentally  but  as  actively  and  pre-eminently 
educational;  he  is  called  upon  to  be  himself  a  teacher  in  the 
highest  and  truest  sense  of  the  word,  a  helper  to  knowledge 
— all  sorts  and  conditions  of  men  come  to  his  "people's  uni- 
versity" and  seek  his  guidance  in  research  on  any  and  every 
subject;  he  must  help  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  professor 
and  of  the  artisan,  and  has  often  to  teach  alike  the  teacher 
and  her  smallest  pupil. 

The  hope  of  the  future  lies  in  the  children  of  to-day,  and 
if  the  next  generation  make  the  most  of  the  resources  of 
the  library  it  will  be  because  <\s  children  they  are  trained 
to  use  it — hence  the  greater  relative  importance  of  the  work 
with  and  for  them.  In  reviewing  briefly  the  work  which  is 
being  done  along  this  line,  but  little  need  be  said  concern- 
ing the  loaning  of  books  to  the  schools  for  redistribution 
among  the  pupils,  as  wherever  it  is  in  operation,  as  it  is  here 
in  Cleveland,  it  seems  to  be  so  successful  as  to  be  limited 
only  by  the  supply  of  books  that  can  be  devoted  to  this  pur- 
pose, and  we  have  known  of  schools  where  these  books  have 
furnished  the  life-giving  germ  of  interest  which  contributed 
more  than  all  else  to  a  successful  year's  work. 

The  careful  preparation  and  free  distribution  of  lists 
of  the  best  books  contained  in  the  library,  suitable  to  the 
children,  is  a  work  which  pays  well.  This  is  sometimes  done 
by  the  school  authorities,  as  in  the  case  of  the  excellent  lists 
distributed  in  the  grammar  grades  in  this  city  last  June, 
which  brought  such  an  increase  of  children  to  the  library 
during  the  entire  summer;  in  some  places  it  is  done  by  the 
librarian;  it  would  doubtless  be  best  done  by  the  two  work- 
ing together,  as  the  one  can  furnish  an  understanding  of  the 


CHILD.  SCHOOL  AXI)   LIl'.kARV  131 

needs  of  the  pupils,  while  the  other  has  the  books  from 
which  to  select  material,  can  attend  to  the  proper  insertion 
of  the  library  call  numbers,  etc.  These  lists  may  be  in  the 
form  of  a  general  catalog  of  juvenile  books,  or  o-f  special 
lists  of  the  best  books  for  boys,  the  best  books  for  girls, 
those  suited  to  different  grades  and  ages,  books  on  particular 
subjects,  as  United  States  history,  and  lists  helpful  for  special 
day  exercises,  as  for  Washington's  birthday  or  Christmas. 
One  who  has  done  much  of  this  work  in  a  large  library 
writes  me:  "We  try  to  guide  the  reading  of  those  children 
who  come  to  the  library  1)y  the  little  lists  which  I  sent  you. 
The  importance  of  these  lists  cannot  be  overestimated." 
She  goes  on  to  say:  "I  have  lately  been  attracting  the  at- 
tention of  the  children  to  good  books  through  a  juvenile 
weekly  paper  issued  as  a  supplement  to  one  of  our  evening 
dailies.  One  night  I  had  inserted  a  list  of  about  25  of  our 
best  books  for  children  zi'itJwut  giving  our  library  numbers, 
and  offered  a  prize  of  a  book  to  the  first  boy  or  girl  who 
would  copy  the  list,  correctly  adding  these  numbers.  This 
taught  them  the  way  to  use  the  catalog,  and  also  got  them  to 
come  to  the  library,  and,  too,  attracted  their  attention  to 
the  best  books.  Two  weeks  ago  I  offered  a  prize  of  two  dol- 
lars for  the  best  description  of  the  best  books  any  boy  or 
girl  in  the  state  ever  read.  This  will  give  me  an  index  to 
what  boys  and  girls  really  think  is  best.  I  shall  keep  this  up, 
on  different  lines,  during  the  winter,  and  will  let  you  know 
results  later. 

"So  many  librarians  wait  for  teachers  to  make  the  ad- 
vances in  the  way  of  co-operation.  It  is  the  librarian  who 
has  something  to  offer  (books),  and  he  should  proffer  them 
repeatedly,  if  necessary.  We  are  'pushing'  pictures  this  3'ear; 
mounted  a  great  mau}^  this  summer  which  are  being  eagerly 
carried  off  by  the  teachers."  The  pictures  here  referred  to 
are  cut  from  illustrated  papers  such  as  Harper's  Weekly  and 
Leslie's  Ilhistrated,  from  worn-out  books  and  magazines  about 
to  be  discarded,  mounted  upon  cardboard  and  loaned  to  the 
teachers  for  use  in  illustrating  the  lessons,  for  busy  work 
for  the  little  ones,  etc.  Several  libraries  are  thus  utilizing 
what  would  otherwise  be  wasted  material. 


132  ,  LINDA  A.  EASTMAN 

The  plan  of  appointing  a  special  assistant  (usually  one 
who  has  had  practical  experience  both  in  teaching  and  in  the 
library)  to  take  charge  of  the  work  in  connection  with  the 
schools,  is  one  which  is  leading  to  such  excellent  results 
in  some  libraries  that  it  should  be  more  generally  adopted. 
This  assistant  should  keep  thoroughly  informed  upon  the 
work  which  is  being  done  in  the  different  grades  from  month 
to  month,  and  be  ready  always  to  recommend  to  teachers 
and  pupils  the  best  on  any  subject  taken  up  by  them,  those 
which  will  prove  most  helpful  to  the  work  in  hand  and  best 
suited  to  the  children.  The  teachers  should  consult  her, 
should  send  the  pupils  to  her,  and  it  should  be  understood 
by  all  that  during  certain  hours  of  each  day  she  is  unre- 
servedly at  their  service.  This  assistant  should  be  well 
adapted  to  and  thoroughly  prepared  for  her  work,  and,  above 
all,  should  have  her  interest  and  energy  centered  in  it.  In 
libraries  where  one  person's  whole  time  cannot  be  given  up 
to  it  there  should  be  at  least  a  portion  of  the  day  devoted 
to  it;  much  of  the  work  which  she  has  in  charge  may  per- 
haps be  detailed  to  others,  and  she  should  be  capable  of 
giving  the  younger  assistants  the  instruction  necessary  for 
its  proper  performance,  and  of  inspiring  them  with  the 
earnestness  and  the  spirit  of  helpfulness  which  are  necessary 
to  success. 

Every  assistant  in  the  library,  who  meets  the  public, 
should  be,  or  should  be  capable  of  becoming,  a  teacher  of 
bibliography,  and  the  best  work  should  often  be  done,  the 
most  valuable  suggestions  given,  with  utter  unconsciousness 
on  the  part  of  the  public  which  receives  them.  It  requires 
infinite  tact,  but  with  the  children  it  is  comparatively  easy, 
for  the  reason  that  they  are  ready  to  take  suggestions  and 
so  quick,  often,  to  profit  by  them.  Here  the  librarian  has  a 
decided  advantage  over  the  teacher,  for  she  has  to  meet  none 
of  that  antagonism  of  pupil  for  pedagogue  which  is  an  in- 
heritance from  the  semi-barbarous  days  of  school-keeping; 
the  teacher  has  to  win  and  then  keep  the  child's  confidence 
— the  librarian,  on  the  contrary,  may  have  it  for  the  taking. 
The  reason  for  this  last  fact  is  plain — people  are  sincere  with 
their  books,  they  throw  aside  shams  and  are  themselves  with 


CHIT.D.  SCHOOL  A XI)  Lll^.KARV  13.^ 

tlu-ni,  and  why  should  they  not  be  so  with  those  whn  help 
tluMii.    in   an    understanding   way,    to    the    books    they    enjoy? 

What  opportunities  does  this  not  open  up  to  the  librarian 
or  the  assistant  who  is  on  the  alert  for  them — opportunities 
to  jjuide  the  children  in  their  reading,  to  awaken  a  real  in- 
terest in  a  c|uest  upon  whicli  they  started  in  a  perfunctory 
and  aimless  way,  and  to  give  them  many  a  hint  as  to  how 
to  get  at  what  is  in  books.  She  can  often  do  much,  also,  in 
developing  those  decided  individual  tastes  which  sometimes 
show  themselves  in  very  young  children,  as  when  the  little 
eight-year-old  comes  and  wants  "that  book  with  the  hands 
and  arms  in  it,''  and  sits  by  the  hour  copying  simple  studies 
in  curve  and  outline,  which  he  shows  to  her  with  the  naive 
confidence  that  he  "is  going  to  be  a  artist;"  she  need  not 
flatter  herself  that  she  is  fostering  young  genius — that  is 
more  rare  than  children  with  a  taste  for  drawing — but  she 
may  be  sure  that  she  is  doing  something  toward  shaping  his 
ideals  of  the  beautiful  and  the  true. 

The  general  reading  of  children  needs  wiser  and  more 
tactful  oversight,  by  the  parent,  by  the  teacher  or  the  li- 
brarian, to  counteract  that  tendency  to  narrow  down  the 
range  of  reading  to  one  class  of  books,  and  that  too  often 
the  poorer  story-book.  There  is  perhaps  no  department 
of  the  public  library  where  greater  care  should  be  exercised 
in  the  selection  of  books  than  in  the  juvenile  fiction — keep 
the  standard  high  there.  The  healthy  boy  craves  stirring  tales, 
but  when,  as  they  will,  even  Kirk  Munroe,  Stoddard,  and 
Henty  begin  to  seem  tame  to  him,  do  not  let  him  drop  to 
Castlemon,  Alger,  and  Optic,  lead  him  rather,  to  the  more 
lasting  delights  of  Scott  and  Dumas  and  Stanley  Weyman. 
It  is  for  the  girls,  however,  that  we  would  make  a  special 
plea;  so  much  pains  is  often  taken  to  interest  the  boys  in 
biography,  history,  travel,  and  science,  but  the  girl  w^ho 
w^ants  a  book  (and  she  is  more  prone  than  her  brother  to 
leave  the  selection  of  her  books  to  another's  judgment)  is 
given  a  "pretty  story,"  and  she  goes  on  eternally  reading 
"pretty  stories,"  which  become  more  and  more  highly 
wrought,  until  the  first  thing  you  know  she  is  in  the  ranks 
of  those  who  read  nothing  but  the  silly,  the  sentimental,  and 
the  sensational  novels — if  she  has  arrived  at  this  point  b}^  a 


134  .  LINDA  A.  EASTMAN 

round-about  course  of  "goody-goody"  story-books,  she  is 
only  the  more  helplessly  sensible  of  her  fall. 

All  the  while,  if  she  but  knew  it,  the  girl  would  so  much 
more  enjoy  the  better  things  which  she  is  missing.  Help 
her  to  these — when  she  has  read  Alcott  and  Mrs.  Burnett 
and  Laura  E.  Richards's  stories,  she  will  devour  with  avidity 
"When  I  was  your  age,"  "The  one  I  knew  the  best  of  all," 
and  Miss  Alcott's  life  and  letters,  and  want  more  books  of 
the  kind,  until  before  long  she  will  be  absorbed  in  biography. 
An  interest  aroused  in  the  personality  of  the  writer  of  "A 
New  England  girlhood"  will  in  turn  carry  her  into  poetry, 
a  never-ending  delight  to  the  child  who  has  found  it  out. 
History,  too!  I  am  reminded  of  the  little  maid  who  read  it 
along  with  her  fairy-tales,  with  the  result  that  she  named 
her  cats  after  historical  characters,  and  executed  a  favorite 
doll  as  Mary  Queen  of  Scots;  she  is  to-da}^  a  broader-minded 
young-  woman  than  some  of  her  little  playmates  whose 
imaginations  admitted  of  nothing  more  tragic  befalling  theii 
dollies  than  a  fit  of  the  measles. 

Above  all  things,  see  that  the  child  has  access  to  the 
good  books,  the  great  books,  the  books  that  stir  men  of 
all  times  and  all  ages.  We  would  object  most  strenuously 
to  shutting  the  children  into  that  part  of  the  library  which 
contains  only  the  purely  juvenile  books.  Do  you  think  it  was 
any  food  for  babes  such  as  the  "Little  Prudy  stories"  which 
called  from  Mrs.  Browning  this  memory  of  childhood? 

"Books,   books,   books! 
T  had  found  the  secret  of  a  garret-room 
Piled   hig-h  with  cases  in  my  father's  name; 
Piled    high,    packed    large^where,    creeping    in    and    out 
Among   the   giant    fossils    of    my    past. 
I,ike   some   small    niml)le   mouse   between   the   ribs 
Of  a  mastodon,   I   nibbled   here   and   there 
At   this   or   thut   ))ox,    pulling   through   the   gap, 
In   heats   of   teiror,    haste,   victorious   jov, 
H'he  first   Itook   first.     And  how   I  felt  it"  beat 
('ndor  m>-  ))illo\v  in  the  morning's  dark, 
An  hour  before  the  sun  would  let  me  read! 
My   booi<s!" 

Oliver  Wendell  Holmes  struck  a  keynote  when,  speak- 
ing of  the  reading  habit,  he  said.  "Above  all  things,  as  a 
child  he  should  have  tumbled  about  in  a  librar}' — all  men 
are   afraid   of   books    who   have   not   handled   them   from   in- 


CHILD.  SCHOOL  AXD   LHiRARV  135 

fancy."  Tliat  word  ''tumhlcd''  he  uses  advisedly,  if  not 
literally — it  expresses  one  thing  which  it  is  all-important 
that  the  child  should  have,  a  sense  of  freedom.  Freedom 
under  law  it  will  of  course  be — he  must  learn  that  liberty 
which  is  not  license,  he  must  learn  to  respect  the  right  of 
books  to  careful  usage  as  he  learns  to  respect  the  rights  of 
his  fellow-men.  Regard  for  students  requires  that  quiet  be 
maintained  in  the  library,  and  this  should  be  insisted  upon, 
though  by  making  the  conditions  such  that  the  very  at- 
mosphere of  the  place  suggests  it  this  task  will  be  an  easy 
one.  Cleanliness  is  no  mere  virtue,  but  an  imperative  duty, 
when  handling  books  which  can  carry  deadly  germs  of  dis- 
ease, and  the  children  should  be  taught  always  to  come  to 
the  library  with  clean  hands.  This  task  is  a  very  hard  one 
sometimes,  but  it  is  so  important  as  to  demand  more  attention 
than  it  sometimes  receives;  if  the  children  are  refused  the 
books,  alwaj^s  kindly  but  always  firmly,  so  long  as  they  come 
with  dirty  hands,  the}^  will  learn  this  lesson.  In  one  reading- 
room  the  assistant  is  instructed  to  take  the  names  of  all 
children  who  are  sent  to  wash  themselves,  that  the  ones 
who  come  to  the  library  dirty  habitually  may  be  singled  out 
and  dealt  with  as  their  cases  require. 

In  cities  of  an}'^  size  it  is  the  children  more  than  any 
other  class  who  are  shut  ofT  by  distance  from  the  use  of  the 
library.  It  is  here  that  the  greatest  value  of  the  branch 
library  shows  itself.  Andrew  Carnegie  said  that  a  large  li- 
brary without  branches  is  like  a  fishing-sloop  without  small 
boats;  if  the  small  boats  could  be  furnished,  if  a  well-se- 
lected general  collection  of  even  a  few  hundred  good  books 
could  be  put  within  easy  reach  of  every  child  in  every  city 
and  town  in  the  state  of  Ohio,  it  would  not  be  long  before 
the  truth  of  his  comparison  would  be  apparent  to  all. 

One  reform  which  is  being  accomplished  in  many  places 
is  the  abolishing  of  the  age  limit — as  soon  as  the  child  is  able 
to  read  and  can  write  his  own  name  (some  enthusiasts  in  the 
children's  work  even  say  as  soon  as  he  can  come  to  the  li- 
brary and  carry  home  a  picture-book),  he  should  be  allowed 
to  draw  books  in  his  own  name.  It  is  said  that  children 
under  the  age  limit  can  draw  upon  their  parents'  cards,  but 


136  LINDA  A.  EASTMAN 

this  plan  is  a  mistake;  first,  because  it  is  injustice  to  the 
parent  to  deprive  him  of  his  card  that  his  child  may  use  it, 
and  second,  because  it  is  a  fact  that  some  parents  are  too 
selfish  to  give  up  their  cards  to  their  children. 

One  thing  leads  always  to  another — in  this  country  the 
public  library  was  the  forerunner  of  the  public  museum  and 
the  public  art  gallery,  which  are  in  many  instances  being  so 
wisely  housed  under  the  same  roof  with  the  library,  and 
forming  with  it  (and  with  the  class  and  lecture  rooms  which 
should  be  included)  a  vast  educational  institution  upon  which 
the  schools  can  draw  constantly  for  help.  The  museum 
especially  seems  too  important  to  be  overlooked  in  this  con- 
nection— it  can  be  started  so  modestly,  and,  if  public  inter- 
est be  awakened  in  it,  is  so  sure  to  grow  rapidly  and  to  re- 
ceive valuable  donations  and  additions.  The  united  efforts 
of  the  teachers,  during  one  school  year,  to  secure  objects  of 
interest  in  illustrating  the  school-work,  could  result  in  the 
nucleus  of  a  collection  which  would  soon  be  priceless  in  its 
educational  value  to  the  town.  One  bright  woman  has  sug- 
gested a  plan  which  should  be  put  into  operation,  viz.,  a  sys- 
tem of  cross-references  from  library  to  museum  and  vice- 
versa;  for  instance,  a  case  of  birds  or  animals  could  have 
neatly  posted  on  it  a  list  of  the  books  relating  to  them  which 
the  library  contains,  giving  first  the  juvenile,  and  then  the 
popular  and  general,  and  last  the  more  deeply  scientific 
works,  while  in  the  natural  history  department  of  the  li- 
brary attention  would  be  attracted  to  a  list  of  specimens 
in  the  museum.  Wherever  desirable  this  could  be  carried 
into  great  detail,  referring  from  separate  specimens  to  cer- 
tain books,  or  to  certain  chapters  in  a  book,  by  means  of 
printed  forms.  The  museum  contains,  say,  relics  from  the 
mounds  of  Butler  county,  described  so  fully  in  Maclean's 
"Mound-builders;"  beside  these  relics  is  placed  a  card  re- 
ferring to  this  book,  giving  its  shelf-number  and  page  of 
the  subject,  while  in  the  book  at  this  place  a  fly-leaf  insertion 
states  that  in  alcove  B,  case  2  in  the  museum,  specimens 
no.  15-48  will  be  found  of  great  interest  in  illustrating  this 
section.  The  same  thing  could  of  course  be  done  in  con- 
nection with  the  art  gallery.  If  well  done,  what  powerful 
incentives  would  this  not  ofifer  to  all  classes  of  people  alike 


CHTT.D,  SCHOOL  AND  LIBRARY  137 

to  reading  with  a  purpose,  and  that  purpose  the  acquisition 
of  knowledge!  And  to  the  child  these  incentives  would  he 
strongest,  because  his  interest  is  most  easily  awakened. 
Besides  this,  it  would  be  an  incalculable  saving  of  labor,  for 
in  the  looking  up  of  references  it  would  be  doing  once  for 
for  all  the  work  which  would  otherwise  have  to  be  done  by 
each  individual  student. 

All  of  these  plans  are  along  the  line  of  development,  and, 
primarily,  for  the  development  of  the  child.  They  are  claim- 
ing the  attention  of  all  educators,  whether  teachers  or  li- 
brarians, and  they  are  calling  for  a  closer  union  of  forces, 
a  more  thoroughly  systematized  co-operation  in  a  work 
where  "the  field  is  white  unto  the  harvest,  and  the  laborers" 
may  be  many. 


FUNCTION  OF  THE  SCHOOL  IN  INTRODUCING 
CHILDREN  TO  THE  PROPER  USE  OF  1300KS 

The  awakening  of  the  schools  themselves  to  the  im- 
portance of  this  subject  is  evidenced  by  the  creation  of 
the  library  section  of  the  N.  E.  A.,  and  the  work  of  the 
committee  described  on  page  18  of  this  l)ook.  Two  ex- 
tracts from  the  final  report  of  this  committee,  made  in 
1899,  are  presented  here,  one  by  a  member  of  the  com- 
mittee who  is  a  teacher.  Dr.  Charles  A.  AIcAInrry,  and 
one  liy  a  library  member,  Mr.  John  Cotton  Dana. 

Charles  Alexander  MclMnrry  was  born  in  Crawfords- 
ville,  Ind.,  in  1857,  graduated  from  Michigan  University 
in  1880  and  took  his  doctor's  degree  at  Halle,  Germany, 
in  1884.  His  services  to  education  as  teacher,  lecturer 
and  author  are  well  known.  In  1899,  when  this  report 
was  written,  he  was  principal  of  the  practise  school  of  Il- 
linois Normal  University  and  lecturer  in  the  Teachers' 
College  of  the  University  of  Chicago. 

The  center  around  which  cluster  all  the  problems  which 
relate  to  the  reading  habits  of  children  is  the  public  school. 
The  family,  in  many  cases,  is  doing  more  than  the  school, 
to  be  sure,  but  it  is  the  school,  after  all,  in  the  great  average 
of  cases,  which  must  give  the  children  a  taste  for  books  and 
an  introduction  to  their  proper  use.  It  is  only  in  exceptional 
cases  that  parents  have  knowledge  and  the  means  to  supply 
children  with  suitable  books,  and,  what  is  more  important, 
with  the  right  guidance  and  sympathy  in  making  a  close 
acquaintance   with   them. 


140  CHARLES  A.  McMURRY 

We  may  well  inquire,  therefore,  what  the  proper  func- 
tion of  the  school  is  in  teaching  the  great  body  of  children 
how  to  appreciate  and  use  the  best  books.  Within  the  last 
few  years  teachers  have  begun  to  realize  that  this  is  one  of 
the  few  great  privileges  and  duties  of  the  school.  To  teach 
children  how  to  read  so  that  they  could  make  use  of  books, 
newspapers,  etc.,  was  once  looked  upon  as  a  chief  object  of 
school  work.  We  now  go  far  beyond  this  and  ask  that 
teachers  lead  the  children  into  the  fields  of  choice  reading 
matter,  and  cultivate  in  them  such  a  taste  and  appreciation 
for  a  considerable  number  of  the  best  books  ever  written 
that  all  their  lives  will  be  enriched  by  what  they  read.  This 
is  one  of  the  grand  but  simple  ideals  of  the  schoolroom, 
and  lends  great  dignity  to  every  teacher's  work  in  the  com- 
mon schools.  The  most  solid  and  satisfactory  reasons  can 
be  given  why  this  should  be  done  in  every  schoolroom. 
These  substantial  materials  of  culture  belong  to  every  child 
without  exception.  They  are  an  indispensable  part  of  that 
general  cultivation  which  is  the  birthright  of  every  boy  and 
girl.  The  child  that  by  the  age  of  fourteen  has  not  read 
Robinson  Crusoe,  Hiazvatha,  Pilgrim's  Progress,  The  Stories  of 
Greek  Heroes  by  Kingsley  and  Hawthorne,  The  Lays  of  Ancient 
Rome,  Paul  Revere's  Ride,  Gulliver's  Travels,  The  Arabian 
Nights,  Sleepy  Hollozv,  Rip  Van  Winkle,  The  Tales  of  the 
White  Hills,  The  Courtship  of  Miles  Standish,  Scott's  Tales  of 
a  Grandfather,  Marmion,  and  Lady  of  the  Lake,  the  story  of 
Ulysses  and  the  Trojan  war,  of  Siegfried,  William  Tell,  Al- 
fred, and  John  Smith,  of  Columbus,  Washington,  and  Lincoln 
— the  boy  or  girl  who  has  grown  up  to  the  age  of  fourteen 
without  a  chance  to  read  and  thoroly  enjoy  these  books  has 
been  robbed  of  a  great  fundamental  right;  a  right  which 
can  never  be  made  good  by  any  subsequent  privileges  or 
grants.  It  is  not  a  question  of  learning  how  to  read — all 
children  who  go  to  school  learn  that;  it  is  the  vastly  greater 
question  of  appreciating  and  enjoying  the  best  things  which 
are  worth  reading.  Judged  on  this  standard  of  worth,  the 
reading  exercises  of  our  schools  have  acquired  a  tenfold 
deeper  significance,  and  all  teachers  who  have  looked  into 
the  matter  have  felt  a  new  enthusiasm  for  the  grand  oppor- 
tunities   of   common-school    education.      There    is    no    doubt 


A  FUNCTION  OF  THE  SCHOOL  141 

whatever,  among  intelligent  people,  that  good  literature  is  a 
powerful  instrument  of  education.  It  is  by  no  means  the 
whole  of  education,  but  when  the  reading  habits  of  children 
are  properly  directed,  their  interest  in  suitable  books  culti- 
vated and  strengthened,  their  characters  are  strongly  tinc- 
tured and  influenced  by  what  they  read.  If  their  minds  arc 
thus  filled  up  with  such  stimulating  thought-material,  and 
their  sympathies  and  interests  awakened  and  cultivated  by 
such  ennobling  thoughts,  the  better  side  of  character  has  a 
deep,  rich  soil  into  which  it  may  strike  its  roots.  So  profound 
has  been  the  conviction  of  leading  educators  upon  the  value 
of  the  reading  matter  of  the  schools  for  the  best  purposes 
of  true  education  that  the  whole  plan  of  study  and  the  whole 
method  of  treatment  and  discussion,  as  touching  these  ma- 
terials, have  been  reorganized  with  a  view  to  putting  all  chil- 
dren into  possession  of  this  great  birthright. 

To  prove  this  we  will  state  briefly  a  few  of  the  changes 
which  have  already  taken  place  in  many  of  our  best  schools: 

1.  Good  literature  of  high  quality,  from  the  fertile  brains 
of  the  greatest  writers,  has  been  put  into  every  grade  of  the 
common  school,  from  the  first  year  on.  This  means,  of 
course,  that  all  sorts  of  information  books  in  geography, 
science,  history,  etc.,  have  given  place  to  better,  classic  ma- 
terial. We  shall  see  later  that  these  information  books 
have  their  proper  place  in  school  work,  but  they  should  never 
be  allowed  to  crowd  out  the  people's  bible  of  good  literature. 

2.  In  the  first  three  grades,  since  children  have  not  yet 
learned  to  read,  but  are  in  the  process  of  acquiring  this  art, 
they  must  get  their  introduction  to  the  best  stories  suited  to 
their  age  by  the  oral  presentation  of  the  teacher.  Teachers 
of  primar}^  and  intermediate  grades  are  everywhere  rapidly 
acquiring  the  art  of  presenting  stories,  and  the  stories  which 
they  ofifer  are  the  best  which  the  literature  of  Europe  and 
America  has  thus  far  produced.  The  result  is  that  the  teach- 
ers themselves  are  becoming  deeply  interested  in  this  ma- 
terial, and  they  are  discovering  how  powerful  and  stimulat- 
ing its  influence  is  upon  children.  The  children  are  aroused 
to  a  new  interest  in  school  work,  in  striking  contrast  to  the 
dullness  and  tedium  of  the  old  a-b-c  method  in  learning  to 
read. 


142  ^  CHARLES  A.  McMURRY 

3.  The  works  of  our  best  American  writers — Bryant, 
Longfellow,  Emerson,  Whittier,  Holmes,  Lowell,  Hawthorne^ 
Irving,  Burroughs,  and  others — have  acquired  a  new  and 
untold  significance  for  American  children.  These  men  them- 
selves, without  exception,  were  exemplars  of  a  simple,  ele- 
vated mode  of  life,  thoroly  patriotic  and  American,  and  beau- 
tiful illustrations  of  those  words  of  Longfellow  familiar  to 
every  school  child: 

Lives  of  great  men  all  remind  us 

We  can  make  our  lives  sublime, 
And  departing  leave  behind  us 

Footprints  on  the  sands  of   time. 

4.  One  of  the  strong  marks  of  this  genuine  literary  re- 
vival in  our  common  schools  is  the  rapidly  growing  dis- 
position to  read  literary  wholes,  not  selections  or  fragments 
— the  whole  of  Snozv  Bound  and  Among  the  Hills,  of  The  Build- 
ing of  the  Ship,  of  Ruskin's  King  of  the  Golden  River,  of  Web- 
ster's Speech  at  Bunker  Hill,  of  the  Vision  of  Sir  Launfal,  of 
Emerson's  American  Scholar,  of  Gullivers  J^oyage  to  Lilliput, 
of  Horatius  at  the  Bridge,  of  The  Hunting  of  the  Deer,  of 
Bryant's  Sella,  of  Burroughs'  Birds  and  Bees,  etc.  This  reading 
of  the  masterpieces  as  wholes  with  children  in  the  regular 
reading  exercises  of  the  school  has  opened  the  eyes  of  teach- 
ers and  pupils  in  an  astonishing  way,  and  is  destined,  more- 
over, under  still  better  teaching  in  the  future,  to  give  a  depth 
and  spiritual  value  to  the  work  of  our  schools  which  are 
beyond  all  price. 

We  have  discovered,  also,  that  the  best  English  writers 
are  as  much  ours  as  our  cousins'  across  the  water;  that 
Shakespeare,  Ruskin,  Tennyson,  Arnold,  Burke,  Scott,  and 
Addison  are  fully  as  valuable  to  us  as  our  own  writers,  and 
that  their  works  also  must  be  read  as  literary  wholes. 

5.  A  new  principle  for  the  grading  and  arrangement  of 
literary  materials  thruout  the  school  classes  has  been  ap- 
plied. The  suitableness  of  the  thought,  the  appropriateness 
of  the  story  to  arouse  the  interest  and  sympathy  of  the  chil- 
dren, are  made  the  chief  test  to  determine  the  place  in  the 
grades  where  a  literary  whole  shall  be  used.  In  this  way  the 
child  has  become  the  center  of  study,  and  a  very  common- 


A   FUNCTIOX   nl'   Till-:  SCHOOL  143 

sense,  practical  result  has  ensued.  Children  are  asked  to 
read  what  best  fits  their  age,  temper,  and  understanding.  It 
is  no  longer  a  question  of  learning  to  read,  hut  of  learning  to 
appreciate  and  enjoy  what  is  most  worthy  the  attention  of  a 
child.  It  is  the  development  of  the  best  feeling  and  intelligence 
in  a  mechanical  process  of  learning  to  read.  That  children 
learn  to  read  fluently  and  with  expression  is  certain  just  to 
the  extent  of  their  true  appreciation  and  insight. 

It  has  been  discovered  that  the  literatures  of  America, 
England,  Europe,  and  Asia  are  already  drawn  upon  to  find 
iust  the  best-suited  materials  for  children  of  the  successive 
grades.  We  may  yet  find  that  stories  as  diverse  in  origin  and 
location  as  Hiaivatha,  Robin  Hood,  Don  Quixote,  Siegfried, 
Ulysses,  Si)ibad  the  Sailor,  the  Lilliputians,  and  Joseph  in  Egypt 
are  needed  at  different  points  in  the  school  course  to  give 
children  what  best  suits  their  mental  growth.  At  any  rate, 
we  are  rapidly  finding  out  that  the  best  of  all  the  ages,  from 
Abraham  to  Kipling's  Jungle  Stories,  is  needed  to  educate 
children.  It  is  an  inspiring  thought  that  the  proper  bring- 
ing up  of  a  commonplace  American  child  requires  us  to  sift 
out  the  gold  nuggets  from  a  whole  series  of  civilizations. 
This  sifting  and  arranging  of  materials  has  been  going  on 
for  many  years,  and  the  series  of  standard  books  now  recom- 
mended for  children  in  some  of  our  best  schools  insures  to 
them  the  stimulating  and  liberalizing  influence  of  a  large 
number  of  the  best  books  of  great  authors. 

This  body  of  educative  thought-material,  properly 
handled,  discussed,  and  read  in  the  schools,  becomes  the 
nucleus  around  which  to  collect  and  organize  the  reading  of 
a  lifetime.  Moreover,  the  interests  and  tastes  cultivated 
upon  these  books  will  determine  what  kind  of  books  and  to 
what  extent  they  will  be  read  in  the  following  years. 

Having  insured  a  proper  place  and  respect  for  this  in- 
dispensable nucleus  in  which  reading  habits  and  tastes  are 
to  find  root  and  grow  strong,  we  may  next  inquire  into  the 
function  of  the  school,  in  giving  children  a  proper  opinion 
of  the  value  and  use  of  the  great  body  of  information  hooks, 
history  stories,  geographical  readers,  travels,  biographies, 
science   narratives   and    descriptions,   histories,    current   mag- 

10 


144  ~  CHARLES  A.  McMURRY 

azines,  reference-books,  etc.,  which  contribute  so  largely  to 
a  full  equipment  for  life. 

Within  the  last  few  years  great  progress  has  been  made 
toward  supplying  the  schools  with  a  large  quantity  and  va- 
riety of  supplementary  and  informational  reading.  The  les- 
sons in  history,  geography,  and  natural  science  are  con- 
stantly enlarged  and  enriched  by  this  sort  of  reading,  to 
which  children  are  freely  referred  in  studying  their  lessons. 

This  use  of  varied  material  requires  greater  skill  upon 
the  part  of  teachers,  a  wider  range  of  information,  and  the 
ability  to  organize  and  unify  these  diverse  sources  of  in- 
formation with  the  regular  lessons.  But  this  kind  of  study, 
if  carefully  planned  and  skillfully  executed,  gives  the  boys 
and  girls  better  materials  of  thought,  more  independence  in 
using  books,  and  a  wider  range  of  knowledge.  It  points  di- 
rectly to  the  library  as  a  necessary  and  very  efficient  agency 
of  popular  education. 

A  small  library  is  becoming  indispensable  to  the  teach- 
ers and  pupils  of  the  grammar  school  in  carrying  out  the 
legitimate  work  of  the  school.  In  order  to  give  definiteness 
to  this  idea  of  a  small  library,  suppose  it  to  consist  of  five 
hundred  to  one  thousand  books,  containing  the  best  classic 
stories,  poems,  biographies,  histories,  travels,  novels,  and 
books  of  science  suitable  for  the  use  of  children  below  the 
high  school.  The  necessity  for  such  a  choice  selection  of 
library  books  is  made  evident  by  an  examination  of  the 
children's  present  studies  in  history,  geography,  and  science. 
History  stories  are  now  read  in  nearly  every  grade  of  the 
common  school,  to  some  extent  even  in  the  primary.  Only 
a  few  years  ago  it  was  customary  to  limit  the  historical 
studies  to  the  final  year  of  the  grammar  school,  to  what  is 
now  generally  known  as  the  eighth  grade.  But  now  history 
stories  are  regularly  used  in  all  the  grades,  from  the  third 
to  the  eighth,  inclusive.  In  the  third,  fourth,  and  fifth  grades, 
or  years,  of  the  common  school,  stories  are  skillfully  narrated 
by  the  teacher,  discussed,  and  reproduced  by  the  children. 
It  is  possible  in  this  way  to  give  them  a  very  keen  and  hearty 
impulse  toward  biography  and  history.  With  this  interest 
thoroly  awakened  upon  the  biographies  of  such  American 
heroes   as  William   Penn,   John   Smith,   Columbus,   Magellan, 


A  FUNCTION  OF  THE  SCHOOL  145 

Williams,  La  Salle,  Champlain,  George  Rogers  Clark,  Lin- 
coln, and  Fremont,  it  is  very  easy  to  introduce  children  to 
that  considerable  l)ody  of  American  biography  which  is  the 
very  best   introduction   to  American   history. 

The  elements  of  heroism  and  adventure,  the  strong  traits 
of  personal  character  and  manliness,  which  these  American 
stories  exhibit,  give  these  historical  stories  a  great  moral 
value.  At  the  same  time  the  dreary  memory  drill  upon  the 
skeleton  outlines  of  political  events  has  given  way  to  a  native 
interest  and  enthusiasm  for  the  striking  personalities  in  our 
past  life  as  a  nation. 

Closely  allied  to  this  early  biographical  story  of  our  own 
country  are  the  famous  epic  stories  of  European  countries, 
the  stories  of  Alfred,  King  Richard,  William  Tell,  Romulus, 
Horatius,  Ulysses,  and  Achilles,  and  such  historical  narra- 
tives as  the  Retreat  of  the  Ten  Thousand,  The  Struggles  of 
Thermopylcv  and  Marathor,,  Scott's  Tales  of  a  Grandfather,  and 
other  famous  stories,  which  in  most  cases  have  a  strong  his- 
torical setting  and  significance.  Our  schools  are  now  being 
abundantly  supplied  with  interesting  and  instructive  books 
of  this  character.  Only  a  few  of  them  can  be  thoroly  worked 
over  and  assimilated  during  school  hours.  Enough,  how- 
ever, can  be  done  and  is  being  done,  in  many  cases,  to  give 
a  vigorous  training  in  this  kind  of  study,  and  to  awaken 
interests  which  soon  grow  into  habits  of  stud3^  In  order 
to  give  the  great  body  of  teachers  unmistakable  proofs  of  the 
variety  and  excellence  of  these  historical  stories  and  poems, 
a  short  list  of  choice  books  will  be  appended  to  this  article. 

Now,  it  is  evident  that  a  carefully  selected  library  of  the 
best  books  of  this  character  should  be  found  in  every  gram- 
mar school.  There  will  be  a  considerable  number  of  boj's 
and  girls  in  every  school  who  will  be  well  prepared  by  such 
school  studies  as  we  have  just  described  for  a  profitable  use 
of  these  books  in  private  reading.  Children  in  general  can- 
not supply  these  books.  The  parents,  in  most  cases,  have 
neither  the  means  nor  the  judgment  for  their  proper  selec- 
tion. There  should  be  no  ambition  on  the  part  of  teachers 
to  make  bookworms  of  children,  and  it  is  certainly  advisable 
to  avoid  an  indiscriminate  and  loose  reading  of  many  books. 
The    teachers    should    not    only    give    children    a    careful    and 


146  ^  CHARLES  A.  McMURRY 

appreciative  introduction  to  a  few  of  the  best  books,  but 
they  should  also  try  to  advise  and  assist  children  in  forming 
profitable  habits  of  reading.  In  occasional  general  exercises 
before  the  whole  school,  and  in  private  talks  with  the  chil- 
dren, many  a  valuable  hint  may  be  given  in  regard  to  what 
books  to  read  and  re-read,  how  to  study  out  and  appreciate 
the  characters,  in  short,  how  to  assimilate  what  they  get 
from  books. 

In  geographical  studies  a  change,  somewhat  similar  to 
that  which  has  taken  place  in  history  studies,  has  been 
brought  about  in  the  last  ten  years.  Instead  of  the  meager 
outlines  of  geographical  topics,  and  in  place  of  the  endless 
map  questions  and  names  for  memorizing  from  the  third 
grade  on,  we  have  begun  to  select  instructive  and  interesting 
topics,  which  are  treated  with  a  richness  of  detail,  illustra- 
tion, and  "description  that  awakens  the  best  thought  and 
interest   of  children. 

Much  of  this  work  also  has  to  be  done  in  the  early  grades 
by  the  oral  presentation  of  the  teacher,  and  after  a  year  or 
two  of  such  home  geography,  by  excursion  and  descriptive 
geography,  by  important  topics,  the  children  are  prepared 
for  making  a  good  use  of  the  geographical  readers  and  books 
of  travel,  which  have  now  attained  great  excellence  and 
value.  Here  again  it  is  necessary  that  the  school  library 
shall  be  well  equipped  with  a  careful  selection  of  the  best 
recent  books. 

It  need  not  be  feared  that  this  method  of  study  and  use 
of  books  will  lead  to  a  superficial,  fragmentary,  or  unsys- 
tematic knowledge,  but  it  will  require  better  class-room  in- 
struction on  the  part  of  the  teachers,  and  more  ability  to 
organize  knowledge  derived  from  reference  and  other  library 
books.  Here  again,  as  in  history,  quite  a  goodly  number  of 
the  children  may  be  led  on  to  excellent  habits  of  voluntary 
and  private  study.  Perhaps  the  best  proof  of  the  right  in- 
struction in  the  class-room  is  the  tendency  of  children  to 
extend  their  knowledge  by  later  voluntary  readings  in  the 
use  of  the  library. 

A  short  list  of  books  will  also  indicate  how  enterprising 
our  best  book  firms  are  in  supplying  what  our  libraries  need 


A  FUNCTION  Ol-'  THK  SCirOOT.  147 

in  the  wa}'  of  geographical  rcarlcrs,  travels,  guide-hooks, 
pictiircs(|ue  narratives,  etc. 

In  the  field  of  natural  science  there  is  a  third  great  realm 
of  study  which  has  been  lately  brought  under  the  direct 
jurisdiction  of  the  schoolmaster.  It  is  only  within  the  last 
few  years  that  any  considerable  number  of  school-masters 
and  school-mistresses  have  begun  to  appreciate  what  a  glori- 
ous field  of  study  has  been  opened  to  the  common  school. 
But  books  and  libraries  seem  to  stand  in  a  different  relation 
to  nature  study  from  that  already  ascribed  to  history  and 
geography.  In  this  case  nature  herself  is  tlie  book  to  be 
studied,  and  no  artificial  book  should  come  in  between  the 
observer  and  the  leaves  of  nature's  own  book.  Nature  study, 
when  properly  managed  in  elementary  schools,  is  a  direct 
protest  against  the  wrong  use  of  books.  By  means  of  ex- 
cursions upon  the  campus,  in  the  fields,  gardens,  and  woods; 
by  experiments  in  phj-sics  and  chemistry,  in  the  laboratory; 
by  watching  birds  among  the  trees,  insects  upon  the  pond, 
butterflies  in  the  clover,  trees  in  their  blossoms  and  fruitage, 
the  weeds  by  the  roadside,  vegetables  in  the  garden,  the 
children  are  acquiring  the  first  indispensable  impressions 
and  that  happy  enjoyment  of  the  wonders  and  beauties  sur- 
rounding them  in  nature  without  which  all  later  study  from 
books  and  scientific  treatises  is  unreal  and  unmeaning. 

After  all.  the  difference  between  science  and  the  other 
studies  (history  and  geography)  is  not  so  great.  We  do  not 
begin  history  and  geography  with  books  in  the  first  two  or 
three  years,  but  with  oral  discussion  and  presentation.  In 
fact,  no  study  can  be  properly  begun  with  children  from 
books.  It  is  only  after  the  children  have  acquired  some  taste 
for  a  study  and  have  accumulated  considerable  knowledge 
in  its  concrete  forms  that  books  can  be  used  to  advantage. 
And  so  it  is  with  books  of  science. 

In  the  first  four  grades  of  the  common  schools,  and  to 
a  large  extent  in  the  higher  grades,  science  studies  should 
be  carried  on  almost  wholly  without  books.  Their  apprecia- 
tion and  insight  into  nature  in  many  directions  should  be 
steadily  cultivated,  not  thru  the  reading  of  books,  but  by 
direct  contact  of  the  senses  and  by  exercise  of  the  thinking 
powers  upon  present  objects.     Most  of  the  efforts  thus  far 


148  .  CHARLES  A.  McMURRY 

made  to  introduce  children  to  nature  by  means  of  books  are 
farcical  and  fruitless.  But  as  the  children  grow  older,  hav- 
ing accumulated  a  considerable  variety  of  knowledge  arid 
sympathy  for  nature  study,  the  best  books  on  these  subjects 
will  be  found  very  helpful.  The  teachers,  indeed,  will  find 
books  necessary  at  all  times  in  guiding  their  efforts  in  nature 
study;  but  with  this  we  are  not  now  chiefly  concerned.  It 
will  be  found  that  for  children  in  the  intermediate  and  gram- 
mar grades  there  is  quite  a  collection  of  science  books  that 
should  be  made  easily  accessible  to  them  in  the  library.  In- 
deed, some  of  them  can  be  used  to  advantage  in  the  supple- 
mentary reading  in  the  grades  in  reading  classes.  Such,  for 
example,  are  Short  Stories  of  Our  Shy  Neighbors,  by  Mrs. 
Kelly;  Glimpses  of  the  Plant  World,  by  Fanny  Bugen,  and 
Town  Geology,  by  Charles  Kingsley.  Another  class  of  books 
that  children  should  learn  to  enjoy  is  that  of  Burroughs  and 
Thoreau — the  sympathetic  and  literary  side  of  nature  study. 
Some  of  these,  like  Birds  and  Bees  and  JVild  Af^plcs,  like  the 
poems  of  Bryant  and  Whittier,  have  gone  into  our  school 
readings  as  classics.  Then  there  are  the  works  of  the  mas- 
ters of  science,  Huxley,  Tyndall,  Darwin,  etc.,  which  com- 
bine scientific  knowledge  and  genius  with  literary  power, 
and  are  great  books  for  students  and  adults  to  read.  It  is 
now  possible  to  make  up  a  list  of  science  books,  one  or  two 
hundred  in  number,  which  would  add  greatly  to  the  value  of 
a  school  library.  There  is  also  a  great  need  for  teachers  to 
be  more  abundantly  supplied  with  these  fuller  and  more  in- 
spiring sources  of  study  as  a  help  and  guide  in  observation. 
We  have  seen,  thus,  that,  besides  the  usual  reference- 
books  such  as  dictionaries,  cyclopaedias,  atlases,  etc.,  there 
are  four  great  groups  or  classes  of  books  which  need  to  be 
carefully  selected  and  well  represented  in  a  typical  school 
library. 

1.  The  best  permanent  literary  books  suitable  for  chil- 
dren's study  and  reading.  This,  for  general  educative  pur- 
poses, must  remain  the  nucleus  of  any  school   library. 

2.  Historical  stories,  biographies,  narratives,  and  his- 
tories. 

3.  Geographical  readers  and  books  of  travel. 


y\   FUXCTIOX   Ol-    Till-    SCIIODT,  149 

4.   Books  on   the   leading  phases  of  natural  science. 

The  extent  to  which  such  a  lil)rary  is  well  used  is  a  sig- 
nificant test  of  the  cfficicnc}'  of  our  whole  educational  activity 
in   the  schools. 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  preceding  discussion  that  the 
purpose  of  the  school,  in  addition  to  teaching  children  to 
read,  is  to  give  them  a  spirited  introduction  to  the  chief 
kinds  of  reading  matter,  to  develop  such  tastes  and  habits  of 
reading  and  consulting  l)ooks  that  they  will  be  disposed  in 
their  later  years  to  make  the  best  use  of  their  power  to  read. 
The  mere  ability  to  read  is  of  very  little  value;  in  some  cases 
it  is  a  positive  misfortune,  when  the  reading  matter  is  vicious 
and  the  taste  for  such  demoralizing  books  is  cultivated. 
When  the  children  are  ready  to  leave  school,  their  self-edu- 
cation will  begin  in  earnest.  One  of  the  best  things  that  the 
school  can  do  is  to  launch  people  upon  their  independent 
life  with  a  taste  for  good  reading  matter  and  a  judgment 
sufficiently  developed  for  selecting  the  right  classes  of  books. 
The  school  library  and  the  public  library  must  furnish  the 
chief  opportunities  for  children  in  their  later  school  years, 
and  during  the  years  which  follow  school  life,  for  carrying 
out  any  plans  of  reading.  The  teachers  and  parents  and  the 
librarian,  as  far  as  possible,  should  come  to  an  understand- 
ing and  agreement  as  to  what  books  they  would  recommend, 
and  encourage  children  to  read. 

One  of  the  results  of  the  attention  recently  paid  to  good 
literature  in  our  schools  is  seen  in  the  growing  disposition 
of  parents  and  children  to  read  and  discuss  the  standard 
books  together.  Many  of  the  more  intelligent  and  thought- 
ful parents  are  willing  to  spend  their  evenings  with  their 
children,  reading  and  interpreting  such  books  as  Giilliz'ef's 
Travels,  Hawthorne's  Grandfather's  Chair,  the  lives  of  Lincoln, 
Webster,  and  other  Americans,  the  story  of  Ulysses,  the 
stories  of  King  Arthur,  the  Greek  heroes,  the  Bible  stories, 
and  also  the  plays  of  Shakespeare,  Plutarch's  Lives,  historical 
biographies,  and  other  books  of  history  and  travel,  as  well 
as  of  geography  and  science. 

It  is  not  uncommon  for  teachers  and  principals  of  schools 
to  call  together  the  parents  and  explain  the  character  of  our 
reading  matter,   the   selection   of  proper  books   for  children. 


ISO  -        CHARLES  A.  McATURRY 

and  the  advantages  of  parents  reading  with  their  children. 
There  is,  probably,  no  one  thing  that  can  accomplish  more 
in  making  the  home  what  it  ought  to  be  than  such  home 
readings  of  books  which  are  recognized  by  all  as  among-  the 
best.  Fortunately,  the  parents  will  be  benefited  as  much  as 
the  children;  for  the  books  that  we  have  had  in  mind  are 
just  as  interesting-  and  valuable  to  grown  people  as  to  chil- 
dren. They  are  books  that  do  not  lose  their  charm.  Much 
has  already  been  done  in  this  direction;  but  vastly  more 
must  be  done  in  the  future.  The  home  and  the  school  prop- 
erly working  together  can  do  a  great  deal  in  this  way  in 
creating  a  happy  and  healthful  moral  atmosphere,  which  is 
most  favorable  to  the  development  of  strong  and  symmetri- 
cal characters.  What  has  been  done,  therefore,  is  only  a 
beginning  of  what  should  be  done  all  over  this  land  and  for 
the  children  of  all  classes  in  myriads  of  homes.  But  to  ac- 
complish this,  libraries  must  be  numerous  and  well  equipped, 
far  beyond  anything  which  is  common  among  us  now.  The 
public  library,  with  its  well-stored  shelves  of  choice  books, 
becomes  as  necessary  as  the  schoolhouse  itself.  The  li- 
brarian, trained  and  cultivated,  should  know  as  well  as  the 
teachers  themselves  what  books  are  suitable  for  school 
children  and  young  people.  Librarians,  therefore,  should 
not  only  be  experts  in  classifying  and  cataloging  books, 
but  they  should  be  trained  experts  in  estimating  and  select- 
ing reading  matter  for  educative  purposes.  Many  of  the 
professional  libraries  have  already  responded  to  this  require- 
ment, and  a  great  deal  has  been  done  in  some  of  our  towns 
and  cities,  like  Boston,  Minneapolis,  New  York  city,  and 
smaller  cities,  to  bring  the  public  librarians  into  vital  touch 
with  school  children  during  these  years  of  educative  growth 
and  character-building. 

A  library  should  furnish  a  good  collection  of  books  in  all 
the  principal  departments  of  study.  In  this  way  a  child  in 
the  course  of  his  education  may  widen  out  his  knowledge  and 
interests  in  many  directions.  For  the  sake  of  general,  all- 
sided  culture  it  is  desirable  that  a  child  should  be  many- 
sided  in  his  development,  and  yet  a  library  may  produce  an 
excellent  effect  upon  a  child  by  giving  him  an  opportunity 
for  cultivating  a  strong  liking  for  one  limited  class  of  books. 


A  FUNCTIOX  OV  Till.:  SCIfODl.  151 

It  is  a  great  and  successful  stroke  of  education  tlioroly  to 
awaken  and  interest  a  child  in  one  branch  of  study,  and  to 
make  him  acquainted  with  a  few  of  the  masterpieces  in  this 
narrow  field.  This  one  enthusiasm  may  be  enousli  to  make  a 
reader  and  student,  while  a  child  who  has  never  acquired  a 
taste  for  any  one  class  of  books  will  remain  dull,  and  shallow, 
and  commonplace.  l*"rom  this  standpoint,  a  good  library, 
even  tho  it  be  not  very  large,  may  contribute  efficiently  to 
the  educational  growth  oi  a  variety  of  students. 

In  fact,  the  library  can  do  for  the  student  what  no  school 
can  (\(i.  It  can  furnish  the  opportunity  for  that  fuller  and 
richer  study  in  any  branch  of  science  in  which  the  stu- 
dent has  become,  deeply  interested.  The  school  of  neces- 
sity covers  all  branches  of  study  with  about  equal  or  im- 
partial care.  It  cannot  go  deeply  into  any  subject.  The 
best  it  can  do  is  to  open  up  the  subject  and  develop  a  healthy 
and  hearty  appetite  for  that  kind  of  knowledge.  But  the 
library  can  furnish  just  that  broader  and  select  material  which 
can  develop  a  strong  and  permanent  enthusiasm.  The 
school  can  do  little  more  than  awaken  an  appreciation  for 
a  few  masterpieces  of  forensic  literature;  but  the  library 
should  contain  all  the  great  speeches  of  Burke,  Fox,  Chatham. 
Cicero.  Webster,  vSumner.  etc..  where  the  boys  who  have  a 
special  taste  for  this  kind  of  literature  can  find  the  best  in 
abundance.  The  same  is  true  for  those  who  have  a  taste  for  his- 
tor}',  or  art,  or  the  drama,  or  fiction,  or  biology. 


THE  LIBRARIAN'S  SPIRIT  AXD  .METHODS  IX 
WORKING  WITH  THE  SCHOOLS 

John  Cotton  Dana  was  born  in  Woodstock,  \T.,  in 
1856  and  graduated  from  Dartmouth  in  1878.  After 
some  experience  as  an  engineer  and  in  the  law  he  entered 
Hbrary  work  in  1889  as  Librarian  of  the  Public  Library 
in  Denver,  Col.,  where  he  was  instrumental  in  securing 
the  organization  of  the  N.  E.  A.'s  Library  Section  and 
of  the  Committee  of  whose  report  the  following  article 
is  a  part.  He  has  since  served  as  librarian  in  Springfield, 
Mass.,  and  Newark,  N.  J.  His  services  to  librarianship 
in  insisting  upon  essentials,  in  his  frank  expression  of 
impatience  with  all  that  is  outworn  and  in  his  constant 
presentation  of  new  points  of  view,  have  been  great.  He 
was  President  of  the  A.  L.  A.  in  1895-96. 

In  recent  years  a  good  many  elaborate  investigations 
have  been  made,  by  teachers,  psychologists,  and  others,  of 
the  reading  of  children;  what  books  and  papers  they  read; 
what  kind  they  most  enjoy;  what  books  furnish  them  with 
good  ideals;  what  ones  seem  most  to  influence  their  lives. 

The  replies  to  these  questions  have  led  to  little  in  the 
way  of  definite  conclusions.  Few  people  can  so  frame  a  set 
of  inquiries  as  to  make  the  answers  to  them  of  value,  even 
if  those  answers  are  clear  and  honest.  Few  teachers — and 
most  of  the  inquiries  have  been  made  by  teachers — can  put  a 
set  of  questions  to  their  pupils  in  such  a  way  as  to  get  from 
them   straightforward,   unprejudiced   replies. 

Furthermore,  the  atmosphere  of  school,  the  wishes  of 
principal  and  teachers,  as  expressed,  for  example,  in  courses 


154  JOHN  COTTON  DANA 

of  study  and  in  books  for  reading  placed  in  the  pupils'  hands, 
or  within  their  reach,  all  tend  to  influence  the  children  in  mak- 
ing their  replies  much  more  than  one  would  at  first  suppose. 
If,  for  example,  a  large  number  of  answers  received  from  a 
numlier  of  different  towns  in  any  given  state  show  that 
Black  Beauty  has  been  much  read  and  greatly  enjoyed  by 
children  in  Grades  4  to  7,  one  may  first  conclude  that  Black 
Beauty  is  a  book  which  appeals  to  the  youthful  mind  thru  its 
own  unaided  attractiveness;  and  that,  if  it  stood  on  the 
shelves  of  an  open  library  with  many  other  good  books  for 
children,  it  would  be  one  of  the  first  books  to  be  selected 
and  read  by  a  very  large  majority  of  those  who  used  the 
library.  Further  consideration,  however,  probably  calls  at- 
tention to  the  fact  that  Black  Beauty  has,  for  certain  definite 
reasons,  been  introduced  into  the  schools  of  that  state  and 
vigorously  pressed  upon  the  attention  of  the  children  by 
school  boards,  superintendents,  principals,  and  teachers,  and 
that  the  children  have  by  no  means  chosen  it  spontaneously. 
And  so  a  careful  examination  of  the  influences  surrounding 
the  young  people  who  have  made  answer  to  these  many 
inquiries  into  children's  reading  shows  that  in  every  case 
little  reliance  can  be  placed  on  most  of  the  conclusions 
drawn  from  them.  As  in  other  departments  of  child  study, 
we  have  here  as  yet  done  little  but  illuminate  our  ignorance. 
This  is  helpful,  of  course;  very  helpful,  indeed,  if  we  recog- 
nize the  light  we  get  for  what  it  is,  and  do  not  take  it  for 
something  else. 

From  these  inquiries  into  children's  reading,  however, 
and  from  kindred  investigations  made  by  those  interested 
in  child  study  in  general,  in  experimental  psychology,  and 
the  like,  we  seem  to  be  able  to  draw  a  few  very  general  con- 
clusions, such  as  these: 

That  the  time  when  the  habit  of  reading  is  most  likely 
to  be  formed  is  in  the  years  from  eleven  to  sixteen.  That 
in  the  years  from  six  to  sixteen,  and  especially  during  the 
first  part  of  the  period,  the  influence  of  the  teacher  in  de- 
termining the  choice  of  books  read  may  be  very  great.  The 
teacher  of  average  ability,  it  would  seem,  can,  if  she  will, 
guide  the  choice  and  interest  of  most  of  her  pupils. 


K^ 


LIDRAklAX'S  SPIRIT   AXD  MKTHODS  155 

From  these  facts,  and  from  the  like,  generally  admitted, 
fact  that  this  period  from  six  to  sixteen  is  one  in  which  tastes 
and  habits  in  general  are  most  easily  and  most  commonly 
formed,  and  the  general  trend  of  life  most  seriously  affected, 
we  can  conclude,  further,  that  books  can  have,  and  do  have,  a 
greater  influence  for  good  or  ill  on  the  lives  of  most  people,  by 
affecting  them  when  they  are  young,  than  we  had  supposed; 
and  this  influence,  thru  the  teacher's  guidance,  can  be  made 
to  work  for  good  even  more  strongly  than  we  have  dared 
to   hope. 

This  conclusion,  vague  and  general  as  it  seems  at  first 
to  be.  is  of  the  greatest  moment  to  the  librarian.  She  com- 
monly has  on  her  shelves  hundreds  and  thousands  of  vol- 
umes— rather  hastily  selected,  not  carefully  examined — which 
she  is  handing  out  almost  at  random  on  every  day  to  scores 
of  young  people  who  have  little  power  of  selection  and  will 
take — one  must  fear — the  book  that  is  full  of  the  evil  com- 
munications which  corrupt  good  manners,  as  eagerly  as  the 
one  which  is  wholesome  in  all  its  influences.  She  is  busy. 
She  has  little  time  to  put  the  right  book  into  the  right  hands. 
She  likes  her  library  to  be  popular.  She,  perhaps,  is  im- 
pressed more  by  the  quantity  of  books  read  than  by  their 
qualit}'.  If  she  is  wise,  she  sees  that  for  the  educational 
work  her  library  is  trying  to  do,  especiall}^  with  young 
people,  she  needs  the  help  of  those  who  can  give  care  and 
thought  to  the  individual.  She  sees  that  the  free  public 
library  should  hasten,  after  equipping  itself  with  the  best 
obtainable  material  for  children's  reading,  to  interest  parents 
and  teachers  in  that  material  and  persuade  them  to  assist 
in  guiding  the  reading  of  the  children  w^ho  borrow  books. 
This  means,  in  the  present  state  of  society,  when  parents 
take  a  very  moderate  degree  of  interest  in  the  books  their 
children  read,  that,  as  far  as  its  work  with  young  people 
is  concerned,  the  public  library  must,  if  it  would  do  good  and 
not  harm  with  its  books,  rely,  to  a  very  great  extent,  on 
the  assistance  of  the  schools. 

The  library  can,  no  doubt,  be  of  great  help  to  the  teach- 
ers; and  much  space  in  other  parts  of  this  report  is  taken  up 
with  suggestions  to  teachers  of  how  they  can  get  much  of 
value  out  of  the  public  library.     But  our  report  will   fail  in 


156  -  JOHN  COTTON  DANA 

one  of  its  most  important  missions,  if  it  does  not  bring  home 
to  many  librarians,  very  strongly,  the  fact  that,  as  far  as  its 
work  with  young  people  is  concerned,  it  can  do  little  with- 
out the   sympathetic   co-operation  of  teachers. 

How,  then,  shall  the  librarian  conduct  herself,  and  how 
shall  she  manage  her  library  in  order  to  get  from  the  teachers 
of  her  community  the  maximum  of  sympathetic  co-opera- 
tion, and  be  of  the  greatest  possible  assistance  in  the  educa- 
tion of  the  young?  These  questions  I  have  tried  to  answer, 
not  fully,  but  in  a  suggestive  way,  by  giving  a  brief  state- 
ment of  the  equipment  the  librarian  of  an  ideal  library  must 
have  for  this  work  and  of  the  things  that  an  ideal  library 
may  do  in  its  co-operation  with  the  schools. 

THE   LIBRARIAN    AND    HER    EQUIPMENT 

In  establishing  helpful  relations  between  libraries  and 
schools  in  any  given  community  the  things  that  are  most 
necessary  on  the  librarian's  part  are  sympathy  with  the  end 
in  view  and  a  broad  appreciation  of  the  particular  situation. 
This  sympathy  and  appreciation  will  lead  to  good  work, 
whatever  the  conditions.  The  special  knowledge  and  skill 
needed  can  be  acquired  in  the  doing. 

Another  very  important  qualification  of  the  librarian, 
and  perhaps  the  most  rare,  is  a  wide  and  sympathetic  knowl- 
edge of  books  of  all  kinds,  especially  books  for  young  people. 
This  wide  knowledge  of  books  is  not  the  product  of  a  night, 
or  of  a  week,  or  of  a  month,  or  even  of  a  year  of  toil  and 
study.  It  is  a  knowledge  which  is  in  large  part  not  knowl- 
edge, but  native  talent;  and  the  knowledge  which  goes  with 
this  native  talent  is  acquired  only  by  reading  scores  and 
hundreds  of  books  with  care  and  with  interest. 

The  librarian,  then,  is  and  has  been  an  enthusiastic 
reader.  During  the  early  years  of  her  life,  and  especially 
from  ten  to  fourteen,  she  familiarized  herself,  not  as  a  duty, 
but  as  a  pleasure,  with  the  best  of  children's  books;  with  the 
children's  books  we  call  classics.  We  call  them  such,  not 
because  they  are  necessarily  the  very  best  books  that  can  be 
written  or  have  been  written  for  children,  but  because  they 
contain  expressions,  characters,  incidents,  that  are  con- 
stantly reappearing  in  literature,  and  are  interwoven  with 
the  life  of  the  race.     They  are  the  books  that  have  become 


IJiJRAklAX'S  SPIRIT   AXIJ   MllTlirHJS  157 

a  part  of  the  birth-right  of  every  American  child.  They  are 
alluded  to  and  they  are  listed  in  lar^e  part  in  Mr.  McMurry'.s 
section  of  this  report.  The  librarian  who  did  not  know  and 
enjoy  these  when  young  is  poorly  furnished  for  work  with 
children. 

The  librarian  understand.^  lil)rary  management.  If  she 
has  had  no  technical  training  in  a  library  school,  or  has  not 
had  experience  in  a  well-managed  library,  she  gets  some  of 
the  books  and  periodicals  mentioned  elsewhere  in  this  re- 
port, and  reads  and  studies  the  subject  and  learns  by  doing. 

She  realizes  that  books  are  tools,  are  not  sacred  things, 
and  find  their  best  end  in  being  worn  out  by  reasonable 
service. 

She  is  fond  of  children,  is  patient  with  them,  and  under- 
stands them.  Experience  in  teaching  for  a  few  years  would 
be  of  the  greatest  assistance  to  librarians  who  are  trying  to 
work  with  schools. 

There  are  now  in  print — and  a  number  of  them  are  noted 
elsewhere  in  this  report — many  lists  of  books  for  children 
and  teachers,  several  of  them  well  annotated.  Copies  of 
these  lists  our  librarians  has  at  hand  and  is  ready  to  lend, 
and  makes  use  of  them  constantly  in  adding  to  her  collec- 
tion. 

In  the  last  twenty  years  a  great  many  articles  on  the 
reading  of  children,  literature  for  the  young,  and  kindred 
subjects,  have  appeared  in  leading  periodicals  of  this  coun- 
tr}'.  and  a  number  of  books,  some  of  which  are  mentioned 
elsewhere  in  this  report,  have  appeared  on  the  same  subject. 
These  books,  or  as  many  of  them  as  possible,  the  librarian 
studies  herself  and  places  with  the  teachers'  books  in  the 
teachers'  corner. 

As  the  librarian's  field  of  work  widens,  she  discovers, 
first  of  all,  if  she  is  honest  with  herself,  her  own  limitations 
in  respect  to  the  wide  and  intimate  book-knowledge,  already 
mentioned,  and  then  she  discovers  it  also  in  her  associates, 
the  teachers.  It  is  inevitable,  in  view  of  the  character  of 
the  preparatory  training  the  average  teacher  gets,  that  in 
wide  knowledge  and  keen  appreciation  of  literature,  and 
especially  of  literature  for  children,  she  should  often  be  lack- 
ing.     We    have    decided    that   books    proper    for    children    to 


158  -  JOHN  COTTON  DANA 

read  are  excellent  things,  and  sliould  be  easily  accessible  to 
them.  We  have  asked  for  them,  and  authors  and  publishers 
have  supplied  them.  We  attempt  now  to  do  with  them  the 
things  we  see  should  be  done,  if  we  are  to  get  out  of  them 
that  which  we  wish  to  get,  and  we  discover  that  those  to 
whom  we  must  appeal  to  make  proper  use  of  them  are  them- 
selves very  lacking  in  knowledge  of  them.  We  are  improv- 
ing in  this  respect,  but  little  has  yet  been  done  toward  mak- 
ing the  average  teacher  thoroly  conversant  with  children's 
books,  with  making  her  such  a  reader  of  books  as  she  must 
be  before  she  can  do  with  children  the  things  we  wish  to 
have  done.  But  the  fact  of  the  presence  of  the  books  them- 
selves in  libraries  and  schools,  and  the  daily  use  of  them, 
and  the  general  realization  of  the  possibilities  in  them,  will 
bring  about  in  a  few  years  a  vastly  better  equipment  in  this 
direction,  in  the  teaching  force  as  well  as  in  the  library  force, 
than  we  have  as  yet  had. 

The  librarian  realizes  that,  after  all,  a  collection  of  books, 
however  good,  however  well-housed,  however  attractively 
arranged,  is  of  little  value,  has  little  vital  force,  and  does 
not  count  for  much  in  the  community,  unless  there  is  added 
to  it  the  right  kind  of  a  librarian.  A  good  librarian  is  more 
than  half  of  a  good  library.  Realizing  this  fact,  she  tries  to 
live  up  to  her  opportunity. 

While  she  feels  that  the  most  efficient  allies  in  her  work 
are  the  teachers,  and  while  she  feels  that  unaided  by  them 
she  can  do  little  for  the  vast  majority  of  her  young  students 
and  readers,  still  she  does  not  at  all  relax  her  own  vigilance. 
She  keeps  a  watchful  eye  on  as  many  of  the  children  as 
possible;  she  lends  only  what  she  thinks  to  be  the  best  of 
books;  she  is  unceasing  in  her  efforts  to  learn  which  are  the 
best;  she  notes  the  character  of  the  readers  who  ask  for 
what  she  fears  are  books  of  doubtful  value;  she  checks  the 
story  mania,  where  she  can;  she  looks  for  opportunities  to 
turn  attention  from  better  books  to  the  best  books;  she  does 
not  think  any  habit  is  good  so  it  be  a  reading  habit;  she 
keeps  it  in  mind  that  books  are  for  pleasure — but  for  the 
pleasure  of  a  lifetime,  and  not  of  the  day  only;  are  for  profit 
— but  not  profit  in  money  only;  are  for  knowledge — perhaps 
not  for  knowledge  she  can  ever  care  for,  yet  good  and  use- 


LIIIRAUTAN'S  SPIRIT   ANM^  MIvFlIODS  159 

fill  still;  arc  for  wisdom — but  possibly  not  for  wisdom  as 
she  sees  it.  She  is  always  mindful  that  she  is  a  public  serv- 
ant, not  a  ruler;  that  she  is  a  counselor,  not  a  faultless  guide; 
that  she  is  a  student  of  books  with  the  children  as  fellow- 
students,  not  a  teacher  who  has  already  learned  all  that 
l)Ooks   can   teach. 

THE    LIBRARIAN    AND    THE    TEACHERS 

The  librarian  has  no  special  card  for  teachers,  for  she 
finds  that  by  adopting  a  modern  charging  system  she  does 
not  need  tc  make  distinctions  between  her  borrowers.  She 
can  lend  to  any  person  six  or  sixty  books  as  easily  as  one, 
and  a  special  card  makes  a  distinction  which  by  those  other 
than  teachers  may  be  thought  invidious. 

She  has  a  teachers'  corner  in  the  library,  and  keeps  there, 
with  special  books  for  teachers,  copies  of  the  best  and  latest 
pedagogical  books  and  journals,  and  lends  them. 

She  prints  occasionally,  and  distributes  thru  the  schools, 
brief  statements  in  the  form  of  circulars  of  what  the  library 
does  with  children,  what  it  would  like  to  do,  how  it  help.s 
teachers,  and  how  it  would  like  to  help  teachers. 

She  prints  also  from  time  to  time  brief  selected  lists  of 
books,  magazine  articles,  poems,  speeches,  etc.,  on  special 
topics,  like  geography,  American  history,  flowers,  birds, 
Longfellow,  Lincoln,  Arbor  Day.  If  possible,  she  prints 
these  lists  all  in  the  same  form  on  sheets  of  the  same  size, 
so  that  the  teacher  preserving  them  may  keep  and  handle 
them  with  ease.  These  are  posted  on  the  bulletin  board 
and  freely  distributed. 

She  forms  a  reading  committee  of  teachers  to  help  in 
selecting  from  the  new,  and  old,  publications  the  best  books 
for  young  people,  and  in  deciding  what  books  it  is  best  to 
supply  in  large  quantities  and  to  urge   the  children   to  read. 

She  takes  note  of  teachers'  institutes  and  the  topics  up 
for  discussion  in  them,  and  she  keeps  watch  of  educational 
journals  to  see  what  problems  are  being  discussed,  and 
makes  up  lists  and  buys  books  accordingly. 

She  does  what  she  can  to  induce  teachers  to  add  library 
departments  to  their  county,  district,  or  state  associations, 
or  at  least  to  give  up  a  portion  of  the  time  at  the  meetings 


11 


i6o  JOHN  COTTON   DANA 

of  such  associations  to  the  consideration  of  problems  which 
touch  her  work. 

She  endeavors  to  have  teachers,  principals,  and  super- 
intendents on  the  committees  of  her  library,  especially  on 
those  having  to  do  with  its  general  economy,  arrangement, 
and  selection  of  books.  She  makes  the  fact  felt  that  her 
institution  is  part  of  the  educational  system  of  the  commu- 
nity, is  not  something  separate  from  the  schools,  but  a  part 
of  them. 

She  visits  the  superintendent  of  schools,  and  the  princi- 
pals and  teachers.  She  does  not  make  of  her  work  the  op- 
portunity to  impress  them  with  the  fact  that  she  has  a  "mis- 
sion," and  that  she  proposes  to  elevate  the  community  by 
her  books;  and  she  does  not  insist  that  teachers  generally 
are  dull,  if  they  do  not  at  once  make  use  of  her  library;  but 
she  tactfully  makes  it  plain  that  her  library  is  there  to  be  used. 

She  meets  with  the  teachers  whenever  occasion  offers, 
and  is  ready  to  talk  with  them  about  matters  in  her  field  at 
all   times. 

She  visits  schoolrooms,  where  she  can  do  it  without 
seeming  to  intrude,  and  makes  herself  familiar  with  the 
teacher's  work,  its  opportunities,  its  needs,  and  its  limita- 
tions. She  gets  the  courses  of  study  used  in  school.  She 
learns  what  books  are  already  in  the  schoolrooms;  what  ones 
are  used  as  supplementary  reading;  what,  and  how  many, 
have  been  bought  in  sets;  and  in  every  way  makes  herself 
thoroly  familiar  with  the  present  resources  of  teachers  and 
children  in  the  way  of  books. 

She  always  works  in  sympathy  with,  and  with  the  full 
knowledge  of,  the  superintendent,  and  in  accordance  with 
his  suggestions  and  wishes. 

She  ventures,  if  teachers  do  not  borrow  voluntarily,  to 
suggest  to  them  that  they  can  take  books  to  their  school- 
rooms and  see  if  they  can  make  use  of  them  there.  This 
is  not  an  easy  thing  to  do,  for  unless  the  teacher  is  in  sym- 
pathy with  this  work,  to  put  books  in  her  hands  may  be  to 
waste  good  material.  For  the  teacher  who  is  beginning  to 
use  books  in  her  daily  work  the  simpler  they  are  the  better. 
Picture-   and   story-l)ooks,   such   as    she    can   lend   to   restless 


IJI'.KAKIAX'S  SIMKI'I^   A  XI)  M  l-l'l'l  lODS  161 

pupils,  cither  for  use  in  tlie  schoolroom  or  to  lake  home, 
arc  tiie  best. 

She  looks  up  such  a  subject  as  geography,  and  by  ex- 
amination of  the  text-books  used,  and  by  talks  with  teach- 
ers, discovers  what  she  can  do  to  assist  in  making  the  sub- 
ject more  interesting.  She  finds,  perhaps,  that  pupils  call 
at  the  library  for  certain  specific  books,  or  for  books  on 
some  special  topic  which  the  library  lacks,  and  she  equips 
the  library  well  for  such  a  call  next  time.  She  encourages 
teachers  to  borrow  from  the  library  for  a  few  weeks,  or  a 
term,  books  on  the  topics  in  geography,  or  history,  or  sci- 
ence, which  may  be  uppermost  for  the  time. 

She  asks  teachers  and  principals  to  give  her  in  advance 
names  of  topics  and  subjects  of  study  on  which  the  children 
may  ask  for  books  later.  She  announces  on  her  bulletin 
board  that  books  on  such  and  such  a  topic  will  be  found  in 
such  a  place,  or  are  such  and  such  books. 

If  one  or  two  teachers  begin  to  take  an  interest  in  the 
library  and  borrow  books  from  it  for  schoolroom  use.  and 
their  experiments  are  successful,  the  librarian  lets  this  fact 
be  widely  known. 

She  does  not  forget  that  the  teacher's  occupation  is  very 
wearing;  that  the  best  teachers  are  often  the  busiest:  and 
that  it  is  the  best  teachers  w^hom  she  most  wishes  to  inter- 
est. The  teacher  must  keep  her  children  to  the  course  of 
study  as  it  is  laid  out;  and  no  matter  how  flexible  that  course 
may  be,  still  it  is  true  that  to  do  the  things  that  must  be 
done  each  day  takes  nearly  every  moment  of  her  time.  Op- 
portunit}^  to  do  the  work  wMth  children  suggested  in  this 
report  is  not  easy  to  find.  The  wise  librarian  is  not  dis- 
couraged, therefore,  even  tho  most  of  the  teachers  she  at- 
tempts to  interest  are  slow  to  take  up  with  her  suggestions. 

As  soon  as  the  time  is  ripe  and  her  supply  of  books  per- 
mits, she  lends  them  to  interested  teachers,  in  groups  of 
ten  to  fifty,  to  put  into  their  rooms  as  schoolroom  libraries. 
The  school  authorities  may,  of  course,  supply  these  school- 
room libraries  themselves.  It  is  perhaps  better,  however, 
that  they  be  supplied  by  the  library.  In  the  library  will 
usually  be  found  the  best  collection  of  books  to  draw  from, 
and  the  most  skill  in  their  handling.    The  schoolroom  library 


i62  "  JOHN  COTTON  DANA 

is  to  be  used  just  as  are  the  books  the  teacher  may  have  of 
her  own  or  may  have  secured  from  the  library  for  her  desk. 
She  uses  them  either  for  reference  work,  or  lends  them  to 
pupils  to  take  home.  If  she  does  the  latter,  then  the  school- 
room library  is  in  effect  a  branch  library;  and  the  schoolroom 
library,  under  the  supervision  of  the  teacher,  is  the  ideal 
branch  library  for  lending  books  to  young  people.  The 
teacher  with  forty  pupils  and  fifty  books,  the  latter  changed 
from  month  to  month  as  she  may  choose,  and  as  the  wishes 
of  her  pupils  may  indicate,  can  with  little  difficulty  put  the 
right  book  into  the  right  hands  time  and  again,  when  the 
librarian,  with  the  best  intentions  in  the  world,  finds  it  im- 
possible to  do  more  than  supply  each  child's  request,  with- 
out regard  to  the  fitness  of  that  request. 

The  librarian  hears  it  said  not  infrequently,  by  librarians, 
that  teachers  ask  more  and  are  more  exacting  in  their  re- 
quests generally  than  any  other  class  of  library  patrons; 
but  she  says  that  it  seems  proper  that  this  should  be  so. 
She  is  glad  that  they  make  use  of  her  library.  She  is  glad 
that  they  make  complaints,  and  is  not  disturbed  by  them. 
She  discovers  that  their  demands  are  generally  not  so  much 
in  the  spirit  of  fault-finding  as  in  the  desire  to  get  out  of  the 
library  all  that  can  possibly  be  got.  And  she  encourages, 
rather  than  discourages,  the  asking  spirit  in  all  the  teachers 
with  whom  she  comes  in  contact. 

THE  LIBRARY  BUILDING,  OR  ROOM_,  AND   THE  CHILDREN'S   DEPARTMENT 

The  building  for  an  ideal  library,  or  the  room  in  which 
it  is  placed,  is  simple  in  the  extreme.  The  best  arrangement 
for  a  small  library  is  one  large,  well-lighted  room  without 
partitions.  The  cases  are  low,  and  are  set  sufficiently  far 
apart  to  allow  several  people  to  pass  between  them  at  once 
without  crowding.  The  tables  and  chairs  are  near  the  books. 
If  a  corner  for  work  is  needed,  it  is  separated  from  the  rest 
of  the  room,  not  by  a  partition,  but  by  a  light  rail.  The 
desk  is  near  the  entrance,  and  the  visitor  having  passed 
this  desk  is  literally  "in"  the  library   and  among  its   books. 

A  corner  in  the  library  is  given  up  to  children.  The 
children's  books  are  here  arranged  in  classes,  just  as  arc 
other  books  in  the  library,  and  with  the  same  marks.     Stories 


LIURARIAX'S  SPIRIT   AXD  MI-:TII()1)S  163 

and  books  on  other  subjects  are  not  ordinarily  shelved  to- 
gether in  one  series,  tho  for  some  special  purposes  or  occa- 
sions they  may  be  so  arranged. 

The  cases  for  children's  books  are  low,  not  over  five  feet 
high,  and  lower  still  would  be  better,  and  the  books  are  not 
put  lower  than  two  feet  from  the  floor.  This  gives  two  or 
three  rows  of  books  one  al)Ove  the  other,  at  the  utmost, 
and  prevents  crowding  among  those  who  are  loc^king  them 
over.  The  lower  the  cases  are.  the  easier  it  is  to  keep  watch 
of  the  unruly  and  noisy.  Furthermore,  if  the  cases  are  low, 
the  tops  of  them  serve  excellently  for  globes  and  vases, 
and  any  articles  of  interest  one  may  wish  to  put  there. 

There  is  a  globe  in  the  children's  corner,  and  a  place  to 
hang  up  a  large  wall-map,  which  is  changed  from  time  to 
time. 

On  the  walls  are  pictures  attractive  to  young  people, 
preferably  in  colors.  These  pictures  are  such  as  one  would 
wish  to  have  in  the  school-room.  They  are  large  and  broad 
in   treatment. 

A  bulletin  board  in  or  near  the  children's  corner  has  on 
it  lists  of  entertaining  books — general  lists,  lists  on  special 
topics;  pictures,  sometimes  of  a  general  nature,  sometimes 
having  to  do  with  one  subject;  a  set  of  pictures  of  animals, 
or  birds,  or  great  buildings,  or  eminent  men.  The  same  bul- 
letin board  holds,  in  large  type,  an  occasional  sentence  or 
verse  of  poetry,  such  as  experience  shows  children  are  at- 
tracted by  and  are  fond  of  learning. 

THE    LIBRARIAN    AND    THE    CHILDREN,    AND    THE    CHILDREN'S    DEPART- 
MENT 

The  librarian  makes  the  process  of  getting  a  borrower's 
card  at  her  library  very  simple  for  the  young  people.  She, 
perhaps,  thinks  it  wise  to  insist  that  the  card  be  signed  by 
a  parent,  not  so  much  to  protect  the  library  as  to  engage  the 
interest  of  the  parents  in  what  the  young  people  read.  She 
does  not  feel,  however,  that  this  is  essential.  She  surrounds 
the  process  of  the  signing  of  the  name,  the  giving  of  the 
card,  and  the  presentation  of  a  slip  containing  library  rules 
and  information,  with  sufficient  dignity  to  make  it  seem  of 
importance  to  the  children. 


i64  -  JOHN  COTTON  DANA 

She  keeps  her  library  immaculately  neat  and  clean,  and 
trains  the  children  to  help  her  in  this  work,  establishing  a 
library  league  for  this  purpose,  if  possible.  It  takes  time 
and  patience  to  lead  children  to  keep  in  order  the  books  they 
themselves  use,  but  it  is  not  nTipossil)le  and  is  worth  the 
doing. 

She  notes  that  the  weak  points  of  American  children  are 
not  timidity  and  nervousness.  Still,  she  realizes  that  many 
of  tlie  children,  perhaps  those  whrmi  it  would  be  best  worth 
her  while  to  assist,  are  shy  about  visiting  a  new  place,  and 
are  slow  to  ask  questions.  She  meets  such  individuals  more 
than  half  way. 

The  children's  department  is  made  especially  strong  in 
entertaining  stories,  tlie  children's  classics  already  alluded  to 
being  first  chosen.  It  is  far  better  to  purchase  a  large- 
number  of  .duplicates  of  each  of  fifteen  or  twenty  standard 
books  that  children  read  than  it  is  to  scatter  the  money  the}- 
would  cost  over  the  whole  field  of  children's  literature  and 
buy  a  large  amount  of  inferior  stuff. 

The  librarian  has  investigated  the  subject  of  children's 
reading  for  herself,  and  has  come  to  the  conclusion,  as  have 
all  others  who  have  given  the  matter  serious  attention,  that 
in  the  children's  corner  in  the  public  library,  or  in  the  school- 
room library,  or  in  the  library  in  the  school  building,  or  in 
any  collection  of  books  anywhere  to  which  children  are  to 
have  access,  low-grade  books,  no  matter  how  popular  they 
may  have  proved  themselves  to  be,  are  not  needed  in  order 
to  attract  children;  and  that  poorly  written,  unreal,  fourth- 
class,  silly  stuff  is  not  needed  as  sweetmeats  and  temptations 
to  draw  children  to  a  collection  of  good  books  in  an  at- 
tractive library. 

She  learns  from  talks  with  teachers  wdiom  she  has  inter- 
ested in  the  subject  that  the  reading  of  wholesome  children's 
books  docs  not,  save  in  very  unusual  cases,  distract  the 
minds  of  the  children  from  their  studies.  She  learns,  on  the 
contrary,  that  the  bright  children,  the  well  informed  children 
in  the  schoolroom,  are  the  ones  who  are  most  likely  to  be 
eager  and  wide  readers  at  the  library. 

With  the  children's  books  she  puts  the  books  suitable 
for  reading  aloud  to  children  by  parents  and  teachers.     It  is 


i.l  I'.lv:  Alv!!  WS  SI'lKI'r    AXl)   MI'/rilODS  165 

(litViciiIt  to  draw  the  line  (Icrmitcly  bc'twt'cn  tlu'sc  {wo  rlnsscs. 
In  sc'lcctin.n  tlu-  books  suitable  for  yoiuijj;  ])coi)lc'  it  sh<'ul«l 
be  borne  in  mind  tbat  tlicrc  is  much  j^ood  literature  wliieb 
cliiblren  theniselx'es  will  not  read,  but  like  In  have  read  t'» 
tbcni.  Sonic  of  this  literature  can  very  well  be  put  with  the 
books  the  children  like  to  read  themselves. 

The  reference-books  for  children  in  their  own  department 
are  not  many  in  number  and  are  simi)le.  One  or  two  en- 
cyclop.Tdias,  an  atlas,  a  dictionary,  and  a  few  sets  r)f  peri- 
odicals, like  Ilart'cr's  MnntJily  with  its  index,  and  Si.  Xirholu.x, 
serve    better    than    more    elaborate    books. 

The  librarian,  while  supplying  a  special  corner  for  chil- 
dren and  giving-  them  there  easy  access  to  the  books  adapted 
to  their  wants,  does  not  forget  that  an  important  thing  in 
education  is  ability  to  use  a  large  library  to  advantage.  She 
encourages,  so  far  as  the  arrangement  of  her  room  permits, 
the  use  of  the  main  library  by  young  people.  She  tries  so 
to  train  them,  or  help  them  to  train  themselves,  that  they 
are  not  lost  or  dazed  in  a  large  collection.  She  helps  the 
very  young  people  to  make  use  of  the  laborator}-  method  in 
the  library,  as  science  teachers  lead  them  to  use  it  in  physics 
and  chemistry.  She  finds  that  children  quite  quickly  catch 
the  spirit  of  investigation,  the  spirit  of  the  seeker  after 
truth,  and  thus  become  students  in  the  best  sense  of  the  word. 

To  help  the  children  to  make  use  of  reference-books  she 
calls  attention  to  such  helps  as  tables  of  contents,  page-headings, 
indexes,  and  bibliographies.  She  gives  them  an  opportunity 
to  consult  encyclopaedias  and  dictionaries  of  varying  char- 
acter.    She  encourages  them  to  stud}^  by  topics. 

So  far  we  have  spoken  of  books  on  their  artistic,  literary, 
general-culture  side;  the  side  which,  for  the  younger  children 
at  least,  must  always  remain  the  most  important.  But 
there  is  another  side,  distinct  still  from  both  the  "culture" 
side  and  from  the  scientific  side,  with  which  the  zealous 
librarian  must  acquaint  herself,  would  she  do  her  best  work, 
especially  with  children  who  have  reached  the  ages  of  six- 
teen to  eighteen.  This  is  the  purely  utilit}'  side.  There  is 
no  calling  in  life,  from  brick-laying  to  architecture,  from 
shoe-making  to  railroad-building,  that  does  not  have  the 
results  of  latest  experience  and  observation   in   regard   to   it 


i66  JOHN  COTTON  DANA 

set  forth  in  periodicals  and  books.  These  periodicals  and 
books  are  more  or  less  accessible  in  every  public  library. 
The  majority  of  boys,  about  ninety-hve  out  of  one  hundred 
who  attend  our  schools,  are  on  their  way  to  some  manual, 
semi-manual,  or  clerical  calling.  They  will  be  able  to  equip 
themselves  better  for  their  calling,  whatever  it  may  be,  if 
they  make  themselves  familiar  with  its  literature.  The 
humblest  workman  in  the  humblest  occupation  can  adapt 
himself  better  to  his  work,  and  will  have  a  better  chance  of 
advancing  in  it,  if  he  reads  up  to  it.  This  is  an  aspect  of 
printed  things  which  is  rarely  touched  upon  in  the  schools. 
The  sympathetic  librarian,  as  she  sees  boys  grow  to  young 
manhood  under  her  e^'es,  will  watch  their  tastes  and  inclina- 
tions where  she  can;  will  note  the  occupations  they  are 
likely  to  enter,  and  direct  them  to  the  utility-literature  of 
those  occupations. 

The  librarian  makes  a  collection  of  pictures,  saving 
therefor  old  periodicals  that  are  well  illustrated,  and  mak- 
ing requests  for  old  numbers  and  back  volumes  that  are 
past  other  usefulness,  to  be  used  for  their  illustrations.  She 
gets  together  and  mounts  on  cardboard  collections  of  designs, 
of  pictures  illustrating  the  work  of  different  artists,  of 
pictures  to  be  used  in  geography  and  history  and  science 
study.  These  she  arranges  in  groups,  hangs  on  her  bulletin 
board,  and  lends  to  teachers  one  at  a  time  or  many  at  a 
time. 


THE  SCHOOL  AND  THE  LIBRARY— THE  VALUE 
OF  LITERATURE  IN  EARLY  EDUCATION 

In  the  address  quoted  below  are  a  number  of  reports 
made  by  teachers  in  answier  to  specific  questions  with 
regard  to  both  general  and  supplementary  reading,  its 
effect  on  the  pupil's  studies,  and  the  aid  given  by  reading 
to  school  discipline.  The  writer,  Mr.  Crunden,  was  one 
of  the  first  to  introduce  active  co-operation  with  city 
schools  into  a  large  library  and  was  always  one  of  its 
most  earnest  advocates. 

Frederick  Morgan  Crunden  was  born  in  Gravesend, 
Eng.,  in  1847  and  died  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  in  1911.  He 
was  brought  to  this  country  in  infancy,  graduated  at 
Washington  University,  St.  Louis,  in  1868,  and  after 
teaching  in  the  public  schools  of  that  city  and  holding 
a  professorship  in  his  Alma  Mater,  became  in  1877  li- 
brarian of  the  St.  Louis  Public  School  Library,  then  a 
subscription  institution  of  a  dozen  years'  standing.  His 
efforts  made  it  free  to  the  public  and  transformed  it  in 
1893  into  the  St.  Louis  Public  Library,  supported  and 
operated  under  liberal  state  legislation.  He  was  one  of 
the  earliest  members  of  the  American  Library  Associa- 
tion and  served  as  its  president  in  1890. 

I  have  some  hesitancy  in  presenting  to  a  gathering  made 
up  of  progressive  educators  a  thesis  on  the  value  of  litera- 
ture in  education  and  the  benefits  to  be  derived  from  the 
co-operation  of  school  and  library.  I  feel  that  I  may  be  re- 
garded by  some  with  the  amused  compassion   that  an   East 


i68  FREDERICK  M.  CRUNDEN 

Indian  or  Chinese  audience  would  bestow  on  a  speaker  who 
should  come  forward  with  an  elaborate  argument  to  prove 
the  value  of  rice  as  an  article  of  diet.  It  was  not  so,  how- 
ever, twenty-five  years  ago,  when  I  began  to  talk  on  the  sub- 
ject. Most  teachers  then  regarded  story-books — anj^  books 
but  text-books — as  a  distraction — a  hindrance  to  class  prog- 
ress and  an  interference  with  school  discipline.  I  fear  there 
are  some  who  still  hold  the  same  view;  but  the  number,  I 
am  glad  to  believe,  is  not  large,  and  is  rapidly  diminishing. 
I  know  how  hard  pressed  teachers  are  to  keep  their  classes 
up  with  the  schedule;  and  if  they  decline  the  co-operation 
ot  the  library,  it  is  because  they  look  upon  this  as  another 
weight  added  to  their  overburdened  shoulders.  But  this  is 
like  the  mechanic  who  works  away  with  blunt  tools  because 
he  hasn't  time  to  sharpen  them. 

At  the  present  day,  to  say  that  the  library  can  be  made 
helpful  tothe  school  is  to  state  what  seems  to  us  an  axiom. 
But  "axiomatic"  is,  after  all,  a  relative  term.  What  is  axio- 
matic to  one  person  may  not  be  to  another  of  different  ex- 
perience. I  remember  that  it  once  took  me  several  weeks 
to  impart  to  a  student  in  geometry  a  comprehension  of  and 
a  realizing  belief  in  the  axiom.  "Two  things  that  are  ecjual 
to  the  same  thing  are  equal  to  each  other."  Now,  my  ex- 
perience as  pupil  and  teacher  long  ago  made  the  value — 
the  necessit}^ — of  literature  in  early  education  a  self-evident 
proposition.  Long  before  I  read  the  statement  in  Sully's 
Psychology,  I  knew  "that  the  habitual  narration  of  stories, 
description  of  places,  and  so  on,  is  an  essential  ingredient  in 
the  rudimentary  stages  of  education.  The  child  that  has 
been  well  drilled  at  home  in  following  stories  will,  other 
things  being  equal,  be  the  better  learner  at  school.  The 
early  nurture  of  tlie  imagination  by  means  of  good,  whole- 
some food  has  much  to  do  with  determining  the  degree  of 
imaginative  power,  and,  through  this,  of  the  range  of  intellect- 
ual activity  ultimately  reached." 

In  his  last  novel.  That  forlunr,  Charles  Dudley  Warner 
criticises  an  exclusively  tcxt-l)0()k  training  in  a  dialogue  be- 
tween two  young  men  in  college.  ( )nc  had  come  up  thru 
all  the  regular  grades  and  had  entered  college  from  a  first- 
class  fitting  school;  the  other,  thruout  an  unsystematic  course 


VALUE  OF   LITKRATL'RI-:  169 

of  instruction,  had  enjoyed  tin-  run  of  a  Rood  library.  The 
variety  and  extent  of  the  latter's  information  is  a  subject  of 
constant  admiration  to  his  better-schooled  classmate,  who 
closes  the  particular  conversation  referred  to  by  exclaiming 
in  a  tone  of  vexati<in:  "Well,  I  mi.t(ht  have  known  something 
too.  if    I    hail   not   been   kept  at   school  all    my   life." 

Yes,  we  have  changed,  not  all  that,  but  much  of  it.  For 
a  new  agency  has,  within  a  very  few  years,  extended  its  in- 
fluence all  over  the  land.  The  agency  I  refer  to  is  the  co- 
operation of  the  public  school  and  the  public  library.  I 
believe  that  a  majority  of  teachers  now  realize  what  forty 
years  ago  was  understood  only  by  the  most  advanced — that 
the  free  and  joyous  activity  of  the  child  which  is  called  forth 
by  literature  lightens  the  task  of  the  teacher  and  is  of  in- 
calculable benefit  to  the  pupil.  To  such  a  teacher  of  forty 
years  ago  I  owe  the  honor  of  standing  before  this  distin- 
guished audience.  To  such  a  teacher  of  more  than  three 
hundred  3'ears  ago  Queen  Elizabeth  owed  her  scholarship 
and  her  love  of  learning.  Roger  Ascham  agreed  with  his 
friend  W'otton  that  "school  should  be  a  place  of  play  and 
pleasure,  and  not  of  fear  and  bondage."  I  know  such  schools 
today.  Their  pupils  do  not  make  any  less  creditable  showing 
in  schedule  work  because  they  enjoy  their  hours  in  school — 
because  they  at  times  go,  by  the  teacher's  invitation,  to  visit 
fairy  land,  and  are  allowed  to  wander  at  will  in  the  flowery 
fields  of  literature. 

It  is  early  in  the  evening,  and  I  don't  see  anybody  sleep- 
ing; but  I  am  going  to  adopt  the  plan  of  the  preacher  who, 
along  about  "ninthly,"  perceived  a  number  of  his  congrega- 
tion quietly  slumbering  in  their  pews.  Choosing  a  passage 
from  Scripture  containing  a  repetition  of  the  word  "fire,"  he 
shouted  out  that  word  so  loudly  that  all  the  sleepers  awoke, 
and  one  or  two  started  for  the  door.  I  am  going  to  shock 
some  of  3'ou  1)}'  a  strong  statement  relating  to  the  power  of 
literature  to  expand  the  mind  and  to  develop  mental  muscle. 
I  took  it  from  the  lips  of  a  prominent  educator — a  teacher 
wdiom  many  of  you  know  pcrsonall3^  and  probabl}-  nearly  all 
know  by  reputation.  Speaking  of  the  relative  value  of  litera- 
ture and  arithmetic,  that  bctc  noir  of  the  American  school  (in 
wrestling  with   which,   you   remember,    President    Eliot    says 


I70  FREDERICK  M.  CRUNDEN 

we  waste  so  much  time),  my  friend  gave  his  views  in  about 
the  following-  words:  He  said  he  would  take  a  boy  of  fourteen, 
of  average  intellect,  whose  mind  had  been  developed  from 
earliest  childhood  by  reading  the  best  books,  but  who  had 
never  opened  an  arithmetic  or  had  an  hour's  set  instruction 
— who,  in  short,  knew  nothing  of  numbers  except  what  he 
would  inevitably  pick  up — he  "would  take  such  a  boy  and 
would  guarantee  to  teach  him  in  six  weeks  all  the  arithmetic 
he  need  ever  know,  and  as  much  as  he  would  learn  in  six 
years  of  school  instruction." 

If  3^ou  think  this  too  strong,  remember  that  the  words 
are  not  those  of  a  librarian,  but  of  a  teacher.  If  3^ou  all  admit 
that  it  is  largely  true,  it  would  seem  unnecessary  to  say  more. 
But  there  is  no  blinking  the  tact  that  there  still  are  teachers 
who  stick  to  the  "three  R's"  and  the  schedule  with  the  same 
unswerving  loyalty  that  the  Honorable  Bardwell  Slote 
showed  for  "the  old  flag  and  an  appropriation."  To  these, 
and  to  others  who  are  half  persuaded,  I  direct  my  argument, 
hoping  that,  thru  publication,  my  remarks  may  reach  a  larger 
audience  and  one  more  in  need  of  enlightment  than  are 
teachers  who  show  by  their  attendance  at  this  convention 
that  they  are  among  the  progressive  forces  of  education. 

As  "an  ounce  of  Vinland  is  better  than  a  pound  of 
cosmography,"  let  me  tell,  briefly,  what  has  been  done  in  St. 
Louis  in  this  line  of  work,  premising,  first,  that  we  have  had 
a  free  library  only  the  last  seven  years,  and  that  we  have  been 
greatly  hampered  by  lack  of  funds,  so  that  our  plans  were 
hardly  in  fair  operation  till  this  last  season. 

We  have  now  two  hundred  and  sixty-nine  sets  of  books 
for  circulation  in  the  schools.  Each  set  consists  of  thirty 
copies  of  a  book  carefully  chosen  for  a  certain  grade.  It  is 
better  to  send  thirty  copies  of  the  same  book  than  thirty 
different  books,  for  two  reasons:  first,  because  it  enables 
the  teacher  to  have  class  exercises;  second,  because  the  in- 
terest of  each  pupil  is  greatly  intensified  when  all  his  class- 
mates are  reading  the  same  book.  It  gives  them  all  a  com- 
mon subject  of  conversation,  an  edifying  topic  to  supplant 
the  vulgarities  of  boys  and  the  inanities  of  girls.  And  this 
is  one  of  the  incidental  benefits  of  literature  in  the  school, 
which  is  of  no  small  importance. 


VALUE  OF  LlTKRATUkE 


i/i 


These  sets  of  thirty  are  sent  to  schools  on  request  of 
their  respective  principals,  to  be  kept  two  weeks,  with  privi- 
lege of  renewal  for  two  weeks  more.  At  first  we  sent  the 
boxes  on  a  regular  round  thru  the  schools,  but  changed  the 
plan  when  we  found  that  in  some  schools  the  books  were 
never  unpacked.  The  books  may  be  used  in  any  way  the 
teacher  prefers — either  in  school  or  at  home.  We  began  with 
the  youngest  children,  supplying  to  the  first  grade  Caldccott 
Picture  Books,  illustrated  Mother  Goose  rhymes,  Little  Red 
Riding  Hood,  Jack  and  the  Bean  Stalk,  etc.  These  were  fol- 
lowed by  Scudder's  Fables  and  Folk  Stories,  Hiawatha  Primer, 
McMurry's  Classic  Stories,  and  similar  books,  going  gradu- 
ally upward  thru  these  stages:  first,  nursery  rhyme  and  pic- 
ture-book (which  could  be,  and  by  at  least  one  principal 
were,  used  in  the  kindergarten);  second,  the  fairy  tale;  third, 
the  myth;  fourth,  the  mediaeval  legend;  and  so  on  to  biog- 
raphy, history,  and  drama,  culminating  in  Shakespeare's 
plays  for  the  eighth  grade,  with  striking  biographical  and  his- 
torical episodes  and  nature  studies  and  stories  inserted  all 
along  the  line  where  they  were  likely  to  be  understood  and 
enjoyed.  I  wish  to  emphasize  "enjoyed."  That  should  be 
kept  in  view  as  the  immediate  object  of  this  reading.  Let  it 
be  ignored,  and  the  ultimate  end  is  made  more  difificult,  if 
not  impossible,  of  attainment.  There  was  a  very  natural 
preference  on  the  part  oi  many  of  our  teachers  for  "col- 
lateral" reading,  ihat  is,  reading  that  has  a  direct  bearing 
on  school  studies.  There  was  a  disproportionate  call  for 
such  books  as  Coe's  Modern  Europe  and  Carpenter's  Asia. 
To  meet  this  call  fully  would.  I  fear,  cut  out  many  books  of 
sheer  delight — such  books  as  will  inculcate  a  love  of  the  best 
reading  and  lead  to  the  gathering  of  vastly  greater  informa- 
tion than  can  possibly  be  obtained  during  the  few  years  of 
a  grammar-school  course.  Don't  try  too  often  to  palm  off 
semi-disguised  text-books  on  the  children.  Don't  frighten 
your  fish  with  a  bare  hook.  Library  books  should,  as  far 
as  possible,  be  dissociated  from  lessons  and  task  work  Let 
them  be  as  informing  as  may  be,  but  they  should  stand  pri- 
marily for  pleasure  and  inspiration.  The  sets  that  have 
found   least   favor   are   those   on    science    and   that   excellent 


172  -        FREDERICK  M.  CRUNDEN 

series,  the  Heart  of  Oak  books — the  latter  presumably  be- 
cause they  lack  illustrations.  The  favorites  during  the  past 
years  were  The  Prince  and  the  Pauper;  Hans  Brinker;  Stories 
from  Homer  and  Virgil ;  Old  Greek  Stories;  Old  Stories  of  the 
East;  Adventures  of  a  Brozvnie;  Little  Lame  Prince;  The  Lang 
Fairy  Books;  In  Afythland;  Stories  of  the  Red  Children;  Scud- 
der's  Book  of  Legends;  Lobo.  Rag  and  Vixen;  and  Swiss  Family 
Robinson..  Ninety  per  cent,  of  the  work  thus  far  has  been  done 
in  the  lowest  grades. 

Of  our  grammar  schools  thirty-three  made  constant  use 
of  these  sets,  twenty  used  them  occasionally,  and  thirty-three 
made  no  use  of  them.  Most  of  these  last  are  outlying 
schools,  to  which  the  library  was  unable  to  send  the  travel- 
ing sets,  while  some  reported  that  they  had  a  sufficient 
supply  in  the  books  furnished  by  the  board  of  education. 
Fourteen  scJiools — among  those  mentioned  above  as  too 
far  distant  to  be  supplied  with  the  traveling  boxes — were 
made  depositories,  or  branch  libraries,  with  as  many  as  fifty 
volumes  to  each  room.  Six  night  schools,  also,  were  supplied 
with  sets  of  books.  Thru  these  agencies  a  total  of  119,708 
volumes  was  issued  during  the  school  year — nearly  double 
the  number  of  the  previous  year.  If  the  library  can  provide 
the  books,  I  believe  the  issue  will  show  an  equal  ratio  of  in- 
crease next  year. 

"Well,"  the  skeptic  may  say,  "what  of  it?  Suppose  the 
children  did  read  so  many  story-books?  What  does  it  sig- 
nify?" 

I  have  already  quoted  Sully  as  to  the  value  of  this  read- 
ing. Let  me  give  a  few  extracts  from  reports  made  by  our 
teachers.  These  reports  contain  answers  to  three  specific 
questions: 

1.  What  value  do  you  attach  to  literature  and  supple- 
mentary reading  in   connection   with   the   school   curriculum? 

2.  What  effect  has  the  general  reading  done  by  the  pupils 
of  your  school  had   on   their  progress  in   their   studies? 

3.  Do  you  find  the  books  supplied  by  the  library  an  aid 
to    discipline? 

A  few  replies  must  serve  to  illustrate  the  general  tenor 
of  all. 

I. 
I.  The  cultivation  of  a  taste  for  good  literature  should  be, 


VALUE  OF  LITERATURE  17.3 

it  seems  to  me,  one  of  the  chief  aims  of  the  school  curricu- 
hini.  The  deveh)pment  of  a  hiKher  morality  and  a  truer  cul- 
ture and  refmement — which,  after  all,  is  the  final  aim  of  ed- 
ucaticui — can  best,  and  perhaps  only,  be  accomplished  by  the 
encouratjement  of  a  closer  and  closer  acquaintance  with  our 
best  literature.  I  attach  to  well-directed  general  reading  as 
high  a  value  as  to  any  subject  taught  in  the  schools. 

2.  Its  effect  upon  the  progress  of  the  children  has  been 
daily  more  apparent.  It  has  given  information  which  has 
been  helpful  in  all  of  the  studies,  especially  geography  and 
history;  and  the  language  of  the  children  has  been  greatly 
improved. 

3.  I  consider  supplementary  reading  as  good  in  itself, 
and,  therefore,  cannot  regard  with  favor  the  conscious  use 
of  it  as  a  means  for  maintaining  discipline.  Nevertheless. 
like  any  subject  which  thoroly  interests  the  children,  it  leads 
them  into  voluntary  application,  and  so  assists  in  cultivating 
that  spirit  which,  in  the  end,  eliminates  the  problem  of  disci- 
pline. 

II. 

1.  The  literature  furnished  by  the  public  library  has  been 
of  incalculable  value.  It  has  supplied  us  with  the  larger  part 
of  our  material  for  oral  reading.  It  has  been  the  basis  of 
most  of  our  oral  language  work.  It  has  been  both  the  in- 
spiration and  the  basis  for  most  of  our  composition  work. 
The  books  taken  into  the  homes  from  the  school  have  been 
helpful  to  the  entire  community. 

2.  Much  of  our  reading  has  been  very  helpful  to  the  lan- 
guage  work,   geography,  and   history. 

3.  It  is  a  very  great  aid  in  discipline,  both  directly  and 
indirectly.  Indirectly,  thru  effect  upon  character.  Directly, 
by   giving  pupils   something  they  love   to   do. 

III. 

1.  Of  immense  value  to  all  our  pupils,  but  especially  to 
the  poor  child  that  can  attend  school  but  a  very  few  years. 

2.  Assists  their  progress  in  their  studies,  awakens  and 
deepens  their  interest  in  the  subject,  adds  to  thought  and  in- 
formation, and  changes  dry  studies  into  the  exchange  of  ideas, 
the  answering  of  aroused  curiosity,  and  fixes  facts  more  per- 
manently in  the  memory. 

3.  The  books  supplied  by  the  library  arc  an  aid  to  disci- 
pline. They  change  the  current  of  pupils'  thoughts,  and  put 
them  in  a  better  and  happier  state  of  mind — more  conducive 
to  study  and  improvement. 

IV. 
I.  The  literature  furnished  by  the   library   has  put  a  life 
into  the  reading  exercise   that  it   didn't  have  before.     It  has 
made  reading  the  principal  study  in  the  course. 


1/4  ,  FREDERICK  M.  CRUNDEN 

2.  It  has  been  of  great  advantage  to  pupils,  has  made 
them  enjoy  the  exercises,  has  increased  their  fluency,  has 
brought  them  to  know  books  and  to  want  to  find  out  about 
others. 

3.  Yes,  an  aid  to  discipline,  decidedly.  Pupils  are  inter- 
ested in  the  exercise;  consequently  they  are  attentive  and 
orderly. 

V. 

1.  Great  value. 

2.  Broadens  the  pupil  and  gives  him  greater  interest  in 
his  regular  work. 

3.  Anything  that  awakens  a  child's  interest  aids  in  disci- 
plir.ing  him.  When  the  child  becomes  sufficiently  awakened 
to  realize  his  own  interest,  the  necessity  for  discipline  is 
largely  removed.  This  supplementary  readings  has  had  that 
effect.     I  consider  it  a  great  aid. 

VI. 

I  consider  the  literature  in  the  supplementary  readers  of 
great  value  in  obtaining  fluency,  a  working  command  of  good 
language,  and  cultivation  of  the  imagination,  not  supplied  by 
any  subject  in  the  course  of  study. 

It  is  very  helpful  in  discipline — lessening,  indeed,  the  need 
for   discipline. 

VII. 

Here  is  a  brief  extract  from  another  letter: 

There  can  be  no  doubt  of  the  helpfulness  of  the  public 
library  reading  sets  in  the  school.  It  is  the  universal  experi- 
ence with  us  that  pupils  who  do  most  and  best  supplemen- 
tary reading  succeed  best  in  all  of  their  work.  Most  of  the 
difficulty  experienced  by  the  children  in  the  study  of  arith- 
metic and  geograph3\  for  instance,  is  due  to  their  inability 
to  read  the  subject-matter  correctly.  This  defect  is  largely 
removed  by  the  aid  of  supplementary  reading. 

VIII. 

I  prize  very  highly  the  supplementary  reading  in  con- 
nection with  the  school  curriculum. 

The  general  reading  has  caused  their  minds  to  grow  and 
broaden  and  deepen,  enabling  them  to  comprehend  more 
readily    the    ideas    conveyed    by    the    printed    page. 

IX. 

A  principal   of  many  years'   experience  writes: 

One  of  the  greatest  blessings  conferred  on  children  is 
providing  them  with  abundance  of  judiciously  selected  sup- 
plementary reading.  The  enlargement  of  the  horizon  around 
the  child,  the  increasing  of  his  vocabulary,  the  encourage- 
ment to  go  to  the  fountain-head  and  there  drink  more  deeply 
at  the  great  source  of  supply — the  public  library — all  follow 
in   natural  order. 


VALUE  OF  LITERATURE  175 

I  believe  cliscipline  ^r^ws  easier  from  year  to  year.  The 
abundant  supply  of  readinj^  matter  to  he  taken  up  as  soon  as 
lessons    are    learned    has    contributed    largely    to    this    result. 

I  asked  some  of  my  most  comj^etent  assistants  their 
opinion  of  the  value  of  books  from  the  library.  Tlie  rejilv 
was:  "Look  at  the  faces  of  tlie  pupils  as  they  are  usinf.^  the 
books.  See  how  absorbed  they  are  in  followinj.^  the  story. 
The  book  is  new  to  them.  All  the  charms  of  novelty  gather 
around  the  subject." 

X. 

The  head  assistant  in  the  Columbia  School  sums  up  by 
saying: 

Supplementary  reading,  especially  in  the  lower  grades, 
is  worth  all  the  rest  of  the  school  work. 

The  St.  Louis  school  in  which  most  reading  is  done  is 
the  Columbia.  It  goes  without  saying  that  it  is  one  of  the 
best  schools  in  the  city.  At  my  request,  the  principal,  Mr. 
Charles  L.  Howard,  furnished  me  with  a  general  statement 
of  his  views  on  the  educational  value  of  literature,  and  the 
methods  by  which  it  is  made  the  chief  feature  in  his  school. 
1  sliould  like  to  quote  the  whole  of  his  report,  but,  not  to 
overrun  my  time  limit,  I  must  content  m3^self  with  a  few 
extracts: 

We  make  no  parade  of  "literature  work"  or  of  supple- 
mentary reading.  The  latter  term  is  a  misnomer;  it  is  mis- 
leading; what  others  term  supplementary  reading  in  my 
school  is  the  li'holc  thing.  We  have  two  forms  of  reading  at 
the  Columbia  School.  First,  a  form  of  class  work,  in  which 
the  material  for  use  has  come  to  be  selected  on  a  basis  of 
interest,  and  what  appears  to  be  a  natural  appreciation  of 
the  Herbartian  theory  of  the  culture  epochs.  After  the  sec- 
ond grade  or  year  there  is  no  teaching  of  reading  lessons,  in 
the  ordinary  use  of  that  term.  There  is  no  preparation  of 
reading  lessons  for  recitation.  Generally  each  class  in  a 
given  grade  reads  the  list  of  books  given  as  available  for 
its  grade — sometimes  less,  oftener  more.  Sometimes  a  third- 
or  fourth-grade  class  reads  Evangeline,  Miles  Standish,  The 
Merchant  of  J^enice,  or  Julius  Cccsar,  with  exquisite  satisfaction. 
I  have  seen  a  second-j^ear  class  enthusiastic  over  the  Pied 
Piper  and  Horatius  at  the  Bridge.  [Let  me  interject  here  that 
I  have  seen  children  not  yet  in  the  first  grade  enjoying  these 
sam  '  poems.]  Things  are  read  as  zvholes.  For  no  one  ever 
reads  Cassius'  plea  with  Brutus,  then  runs  off  to  find  the 
whole  play;  but  generally  one  who  reads  The  Merchant  of 
]\niicc  first  turns  again  and  again  to  the  court  scene.  These 
books  have  generally  the  characteristics  of  the  classics;  and 


1/6  FREDERICK  M.  CRUNDEN 

so  we  know  that  from  pure  interest  our  pupils  do  a  vast 
amount  of  valuable  reading,  from  which  they  get  facility  in 
reading,  a  vast  store  of  useful  information,  broad  views,  in- 
dependent notions,  and  an  acquaintance  with  the  material 
which,  molded  in  the  master-mind,  gives  beauty,  grace,  vigor, 
and  endurance  to  the  best  literature. 

The  second  form  of  reading  in  the  school  relates  to  the 
use  of  miscellaneous  books  independent  of  the  school  work. 
In  this  connection  reading  is  encouraged,  but  no  supervision 
of  it  is  assumed. 

About  six  hundred  pupils  in  the  school  have  tickets  in  the 
public  library.    They  appear  to  be  in  constant  use. 

In  1898-99  we  collected  reports  of  "outside  readings."  In 
eight  months  seven  hundred  pupils  reported  something  over 
ten  thousand  books  read.  They  were  mostly  what  I  should 
call  for  myself  "good  books."  .  .  .  The  most  pernicious 
books  come  into  the  hands  of  children  thru  the  suggestion 
of  well-meaning  people  who  are  ignorant  or  thoughtless  of 
their  influence — such  books  as  set  up  false  ideals,  inflame 
feeling,  diacolor  fancy,  and  distort  judgment;  the  kind  of 
books  that  used  to  abound  in  Sunday-school  libraries.  The 
real  value  of  this  work  cannot  be  told.  The  influence  is  main- 
ly realized  in  conduct  and  character. 

Our  friends  are  sometimes  disturbed  over  the  freedom 
in  our  work;  but  it  is  observed  that  the  freedom  allowed 
naturally  secures  a  basis  of  interest  which  tends  to  make  the 
reading  thoughtful ;  that  those  who  read  most  widely  accom- 
plish most  in  other  forms  of  school  work;  that  the  effect  upon 
conduct  is  most  salutary,  showing  in  no  case  a  bad  result 
from  the  reading  habit;  that  the  ordinary  nature-study  books 
do  not  appeal  to  children  strongly  enough  to  secure  voluntary 
reading  as  wholes;  that  the  "classics"  tend  to  supplant  every- 
thing sensational  or  weak;  that  natural  children  make  as  few 
errors  in  selecting  for  themselves  as  their  elders  make  in 
selecting  for  them;  that  the  "bad"  books  generally  appear 
but  once;  that  a  book  is  on  the  whole  good  or  bad  as  de- 
termined by  the  attitude  of  the  mind  toward  it. 

An  interesting  experiment  in  the  teaching  of  literature 
was  tried  in  the  St.  Louis  High  School  the  past  season.  A 
full  account  of  methods  and  results  will  be  given  before  the 
Library  Department  by  Mr.  P.  M.  Buck,  who  had  charge  of 
the  work.  I  will  merely  say  that  the  public  library  supplied 
to  the  high  school  about  five  hundred  volumes,  in  multiple 
copies,  of  the  best  American  and  English  authors  of  the 
century,  seven  hundred  cards  were  issued  to  the  pupils,  and 
more    than   twelve   thousand   volumes   were    drawn   by   them. 


VALUE  Ol'    MTRR.\'11;KK  177 

We  see,  then,  that  a  consensus  of  the  St.  Louis  teachers 
who  have  welcomed  the  aid  of  the  library  is  that  general 
reading  is  "helpful  in  all  the  studies;"  that  it  possesses  "as 
high  a  value  as  anything  taught  in  the  schools,"  while  two 
teachers  consider  it  "worth  all  the  rest  of  the  school  work;" 
that  it  is  "of  immeasurable  value  to  all  pupils,  but  especial- 
ly to  tlic  poor  child;"  that  "pupils  who  do  most  and  best 
supplementary  reading  succeed  best  in  all  their  work;" 
that  it  is  "a  great  aid  to  discipline  directly  and  thru  effect 
on  character;"  that  "it  puts  children  in  a  better  and  hap- 
pier frame  of  mind — more  conducive  to  study;"  that  "its 
influence  is  mainly  realized  in  conduct  and  character;"  and 
finally  that  "the  books  taken  into  the  homes  have  been  help- 
ful to  the  entire  community."  Could  we  ask  for  anything 
more?  Promotes  progress  in  all  studies!  Aids  discipline! 
Improves  conduct  and  forms  character!  And,  lastly,  reaches 
out  into  the  homes  and  educates  parents  and  older  brothers 
and  sisters. 

And,  now,  as  a  climax  and  summary  to  this  testimony 
from  teachers,  I  must  quote,  tho  it  be  for  the  nth  time,  these 
words  of   President   Eliot: 

From  the  total  training  during  childhood  there  should 
result  in  the  child  a  taste  for  interesting  and  improving  read- 
ing, which  should  direct  and  inspire  its  subsequent  intellec- 
tual life.  The  schooling  which  results  in  this  taste  for  good 
reading,  however  unsystematic  and  eccentric  the  schooling 
may  have  been,  has  achieved  a  main  end  of  elementary  edu- 
cation; and  that  schooling  which  does  not  result  in  implant- 
ing this  permanent  taste  has  failed. 

In  that  thoughtful  and  stimulating  essay,  Culture  zvithouf 
College,  Dr.  Gannett  gives  as  the  three  great  agencies  of  edu- 
cation, "the  three  chief  teachers — work,  society,  and  books." 
This  cannot  be  disputed;  but  as  to  the  order  of  the  instru- 
mentalities named — while  they  are  to  such  great  extent  reci- 
procal and  interactive — I  am  inclined  to  think  that,  for  the 
great  mass  of  children,  books,  if  brought  into  their  lives 
early  enough  and  constantly  enough,  may  easily  be  made  the 
controlling  influence;  for  the  standards  and  ideals  obtained 
from  good  books  will  largely  determine  both  companionship 
and  kind  and  quality  of  work.  Ignoring  the  other  two  factors 


178  ^       FREDERICK  M.   CRUNDEN 

creates,  as  Dr.  Gannett  says,  a  dwarf;  and  if  the  bookish 
education  is  "mere  text-book  education,"  the  result  is  a 
"dwarf  of  a  dwarf."  The  influences  of  our  active  life  tend  to 
reduce  to  a  very  small  number  the  first  tribe  of  pygmies;  and 
the  recent  development  of  co-operation  between  school  and 
library  promises,  in  a  short  time,  the  extinction  of  the  latte^^ 
minified    manikin. 

To  determine  the  value  of  the  library,  or  of  any  other 
educational  agency  or  adjunct,  we  must  agree  upon  zvhat  is 
education — we  must  decide  what  it  is  we  seek  to  do  for  the 
child  in  giving  him  "an  education."  Do  we — can  we — send 
out  educated  boys  and  girls  from  the  grammar  school  at  four- 
teen, or  from  the  high  school  at  eighteen?  Can  we  do  more 
for  them  than  teach  them  how  to  read  and  make  reading 
interesting  to  them?  It  is  for  these,  the  99^  per  cent.,  I 
speak.  As  to  the  3/5  per  cent,  of  college  graduates,  if  they 
have  been  started  right,  they  need  give  us  no  concern. 

What,  then,  is  the  purpose  of  education?  One  purpose 
is  to  enable  the  boy  to  make  a  living.  Yes,  but  very  little 
suffices  for  that.  I  have  known  men  scarcely  able  to  read 
who  had  much  larger  incomes  than  any  of  us.  To  make  good 
citizens.  Unquestionably  that  is  what  most  concerns  society. 
It  includes,  of  course,  ability  to  make  a  living  and  much  more. 
But  how  is  the  ordinary  school  curriculum  to  fit  the  child 
for  the  duties  of  citizenship?  How  is  he  to  grow  morally 
strong  on  an  exclusive  diet  of  text-books?  How  can  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  capes  and  rivers  of  Asia,  of  the  tables  of  Troy 
and  apothecaries'  weight,  and  of  other  useless  and  unenter- 
taining  facts  give  the  child  any  idea  of  his  rights  and  duties 
as  a  social  being?  What  nurture  for  the  imagination — which 
is  so  necessary  a  first  step  in  mental  awakening — what  nur- 
ture for  the  imagination  does  the  child  get  from  hours  spent 
in  finding  the  greatest  common  divisor  and  least  common 
multiple?  I  speak  feelingly  of  this  particular  grind,  for  I 
recall  many  tedious  hours  wasted  on  it.  My  little  boy  of 
five  and  a  half  got  more  mental  development  from  having 
Stanley  Waterloo's  Story  of  Ab  read  to  him  three  or  four 
times  than  I  did  at  twice  his  age  out  of  many  weeks  of  tire- 
some work  over  the  greatest  common  divisor  and  the  least 
common   multiple.     And   to   this   must  be   added   the   intense 


VALUE  ()!•    LITICKATL'RR 


170 


enjoyment  the  story  afforded — and,  above  all,  the  desire  for 
more  knowledge  which  it  awakened. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  discuss  the  question  whether  pleas- 
ure is  the  chief  end  of  life,  but  we  must  agree  that  a  life 
which  has  known  no  pleasure  is  a  blighted  nubbin,  a  stunted 
tree,  a  sorry  spectacle.  In  every  human  soul  there  is  an 
insistent  demand  for  pleasure  in  some  form.  This  cry  is 
most  clamorous  in  childhood.  With  the  child,  indeed,  pleas- 
ure is  the  mainspring  of  action,  the  central  object  of  desire. 
Shall  we  check  or  ignore  this  longing  for  the  joy  of  life  when 
it  takes  the  form  of  a  thirst  for  knowledge,  of  a  craving  for 
high  companionship,  of  the  fresh  soul's  aspiration  toward 
the  ideal?  And  is  there  any  greater  pleasure  to  the  child 
who  has  been  early  led  to  a  liking  for  literature  than  to  lose 
himself  in  the  pages  of  a  fascinating  book?  I  have  known 
more  than  one  healthy,  active-bodied  boy  who  had  not  yet 
learned  to  read,  who  would  gladly  leave  a  game  to  listen  to 
a  reading  from  such  a  book  as  Hiazvatha,  Tanglewood  Tales,  or 
Stories  from  the  Fairy  Queen.  Pleasure  is  essential  to  the 
young  life.  Without  enjoyment  it  cannot  blossom,  but  is 
blighted  and  withered  like  a  plant  without  water.  If.  then, 
we  take  no  account  of  the  culture  and  inspiration  of  litera- 
ture, if  we  regard  it  merely  as  a  means  of  pleasure,  we  can- 
not deny  it  to  the  child.  We  owe  it  to  the  nation,  which 
intrusts  us,  as  educational  experts,  with  the  development  of 
its  children;  we  owe  it  to  our  high  ofifice  to  see  that  this 
elevating  pleasure  early  enters  into  the  lives  of  the  young 
people  committed  to  our  care.  If  for  no  other  reason  than 
the  substitution  of  higher  for  lower,  of  intellectual  for  physi- 
cal enjoyment,  it  is  our  duty  to  inculcate  in  our  young 
charges  "this  habit  of  reading,"  which,  as  Anthony  Trollope 
says,  "is  a  pass  to  the  greatest,  the  purest,  the  most  perfect 
pleasure  that  God  has  prepared  for  his  creatures." 

We  can  recall  incidents  of  our  childhood  which  illustrates 
the  various  sources  from  which  pleasure  came  to  us  ;  and  we 
find  the  emotional  life  of  a  child  charmingly  pictured  in 
Pierre  Loti's  Romance  of  a  Child.  This  little  book  shows  how 
objects  and  events,  striking  from  their  brightness,  their 
somberness,  their  horror,  or  even  their  mere  suggestiveness, 
make  instant  and  indelible  impressions  on  the  super-sensitized 


i8o  .     FREDERICK  M.  CRUNDEN 

plates  of  the  young  mind.  Now,  every  boy  and  girl  cannot 
be  brought  up  in  a  country  house  with  a  pretty  garden  con- 
taining old  fruit  trees  and  a  fountain,  with  views  of  mag- 
nificent sunsets  across  field  and  marsh  and  sands  to  a  stretch 
of  the  illimitable  ocean.  Not  every  boy  has  a  forest  to  roam 
thru  in  summer,  or  an  island  with  its  novel  life  to  enjoy. 
Not  every  embryo  man,  like  the  hero  of  Edith  Lanigan's 
charming  sketch  in  the  January  Atlantic,  finds  in  his  father's 
library  the  means  of  aerial  trips  to  all  countries  and  ages, 
personally  conducted  by  the  most  affable  and  entertaining 
guides.  But  every  boy  and  girl  can,  and  should,  be  supplied 
by  school  and  library  with  voyages  to  all  lands,  with  cine- 
matographic views  of  man's  upward  progress,  with  mental 
pictures  of  forests,  seas,  and  islands — famous  islands  such  as 
Treasure  Island  and  Crusoe's  island;  vast  forests  inhabited 
by  pygmies  and  gorillas;  seas  of  Sinbad  and  the  Maelstrom 
and  the  Ancient  Mariner.  Above  all,  every  child  should  be 
furnished  with  winged  cap  and  shoes  that  will  bear  him  to  the 
realm  of  fancy  and  fair}^  land.  Every  child  should  be  intro- 
duced, not  only  to  Alexander  and  Hannibal  and  Caesar,  to 
Franklin  and  Washington  and  Lincoln,  but  also — and — ear- 
lier— to  those  even  more  interesting,  those  fascinating  per- 
sonages, Little  Jack  Horner,  the  Three  Bears,  and  Cinder- 
ella; Quicksilver,  Perseus,  and  Ulysses;  King  Arthur,  Sir 
Lancelot,  and  the  Red  Cross  Knight;  Christian  and  Robin 
Hood  and  Mowgli.  All  this  the  school  and  the  library,  work- 
ing together,  can  do  for  the  children  of  the  nation.  Especially 
to  children  of  narrow  home  horizon,  of  sordid,  and  perhaps 
vicious,  surroundings,  are  we  called  upon  to  give  glimpses  of 
the  great  world  into  which  they  have  been  born,  some  con- 
ception of  the  heritage  which  they  may  claim,  and  of  its  cost 
to  countless  generations  in  blood  and  tears,  in  sorrow  and 
suffering.  We  can  fill  the  white  tablets  of  their  minds  with 
beautiful  pictures  which  will  cheer  them  thru  life;  we  can 
impart  to  them  an  ambition  and  a  determination  to  make 
the  most  of  their  powers;  we  can  implant  in  their  souls 
ideals  which  will  lead  them  away  from  sordid  desires  and 
base  pursuits,  and  make  them  better  citizens  of  the  republic. 
Is  not  this  the  purpose  of  education? 


VALUE  OF  LITERATURE  iRi 

When  I  say  "wc,"  I  mean  teacher  and  lihrarian.  The 
librarian  alone  cannot  do  it.  And.  let  me  add,  the  teacher 
can  never  reach  this  goal  with  the  text-book  for  his  only  staff. 
A  farmer  might  as  well  hope  to  raise  fine  horses  and  oxen  on 
an  exclusive  diet  of  dry  oat  straw  or  corn  shucks. 

Achievement  and  character  are  based  on  the  ideal. 
Whence  is  the  child  to  gain  high  ideals?  For  the  average 
child  there  is  but  one  source — the  lives  and  utterances  of  the 
idealists  of  the  world — the  dreamers,  the  prophets  of  all  ages. 
They  will  teach  him  what  education  is,  what  character  is.  and 
how  precious  it  is  above  all  things.  They  will  teach  him 
that  the  total  of  i^hilosophy  is  not  summed  up  in  lago's  '"Put 
money  in  thy  purse;"  that  he  may  gain  wealth  and  be  im- 
l)overished  in  soul;  they  will  show  him  that  he  may  master 
science,  but  that  "the  measuring  rod  of  science  can  never 
measure  the  ends  of  living;"  they  will  make  clear  to  him  that 
"though  he  speak  with  the  tongues  of  men  and  of  angels, 
and  have  not  love,  he  is  as  sounding  brass  or  a  tinkling 
cymbal."  As  a  citizen,  too,  he  will  realize  that  it  is  not 
prosperity,  "it  is  not  piety  but  righteousness  that  exalteth  a 
nation."  While  possessed  of  the  spirit  of  righteousness,  he 
will  not  be  devoid  of  piety.  He  will  have  the  all-pervading 
piety  that  Dr.  Harris  speaks  of — "the  piety  not  merely  of 
the  heart,  but  the  piety  of  the  intellect  that  beholds  the 
truth,  the  piety  of  the  will  that  does  good  deeds  wisely,  the 
piety  of  the  senses  that  sees  the  beautiful  and  realizes  it  in 
works  of  art." 

My  friends,  as  I  said  in  the  beginning  that  it  seemed  a 
work  of  supererogation  to  urge  co-operation  of  school  and 
library  before  this  body  of  alert  and  advanced  educators,  so. 
in  conclusion,  I  must  offer  the  overpowering  importance 
of  the  subject  as  my  excuse  for  giving  final  emphasis  to  a 
thought  which  I  hope  is  never  wholly  absent  from  our  minds 
and  is  the  guiding  influence  of  our  lives — the  supreme  im- 
portance of  the  work  intrusted  to  us.  As  Wendell  Phillips 
said:  ''Education  is  the  only  interest  K-or/Z/y  the  deep,  controlling 
anxiety  of  the   thoughtful  man." 

In  Louise  Jordan  Miln's  Little  Folk  of  Many  Lands  I  find 
this  striking  presentation  of  the  thought  I  wish  to  leave  with 
you  in  closing.     As   she   and  her  father  were   seated   on   the 


i82  FREDERICK   M.  CRUNDEN 

Italian  seashore  one  clay,  ''he  pointed  to  the  half-clad  chil- 
dren playing  near.  'There  is  nothing  in  all  the  world  so 
important  as  children,'  he  said,  'nothing  so  interesting.  If 
you  ever  wish  to  go  in  for  some  philanthropy,  if  you  ever 
wish  to  be  of  any  real  use  in  the  world,  do  something  for 
children.  If  you  ever  yearn  to  be  truly  wise,  study  children. 
We  can  dress  the  sore,  bandage  the  wounded,  imprison  the 
criminal,  heal  the  sick,  and  bury  the  dead;  but  there  is  al- 
ways a  chance  that  we  can  save  a  child.  If  the  great  army  of 
philanthropists  ever  exterminate  sin  and  pestilence,  ever 
work  our  race's  salvation,  it  will  be  because  a  little  child  has 
led    them.'  " 


PUBLIC  LIBRARY  BOOKS  IN  PUliLIC 
SCHOOLS 

The  }ear  after  the  issue  of  tlie  N.  E.  A.  report  men- 
tioned on  i^ai^e  18.  the  Hhrarian  of  tlie  Bufifalo  riil)lic 
Library  puhhshed  a  description  of  the  methods  then  used 
in  his  institution  to  co-operate  effectively  with  the  local 
schools.  These  methods  had  even  at  this  time  attracted 
wide  attention  and  they  have  since  served  as  models  for 
other  liliraries  and  other  school  boards. 

Henry  Livingston  Elmendorf  was  born  in  Brooklyn, 
N.  Y.,  in  1852  and  educated  at  the  Polytechnic  Institute 
of  that  city.  He  entered  library  work  as  an  assistant  in 
the  Gardner  Sage  Library  at  New  Brunswick,  N.  J.,  was 
librarian  of  the  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  Public  Library  from 
1891  to  1896  and  took-  charge  of  the  Bufifalo  Public  Li- 
brary on  its  formation  by  the  reorganization  of  the  old 
Bufifalo  Library  in  1897.  This  post  he  held  at  the  time 
of  his  death  in  1906. 

As  has  been  stated,  the  only  defense  of  compulsory  tax 
support  of  the  free  public  library  is  that  it  makes,  or  aids  in 
making,  good  citizens.  If  this  be  the  purpose  of  the  library, 
there  will  be  no  difference  of  opinion  on  the  proposition  that 
its  influence  should  begin  with  the  child  as  young  as  possible. 
It  will  not  be  disputed  that  as  the  children  are  brought  to- 
gether in  the  public  schools  in  larger  numbers  than  in  any 
other  place  or  manner,  and  under  the  most  favorable  condi- 
tions to  receive  instruction,  in  fact,  for  that  very  purpose. 
the   library  should  not  fail  to  take  advantage  of  this  oppor- 


i84  ^        HENRY  L.  ELMENDORF 

tunity  to  bring  its  influence  to  bear.  It  follows  then  that 
the  relations  between  the  school  and  the  library  should  be  as 
intimate,  and  their  co-operation  as  perfect,  as  possible. 

The  free  public  library  is  comparatively  a  new  factor  in 
education.  In  some  cases  it  is  an  outgrowth  of  the  public 
school  library,  and  under  the  control  of  the  board  of  educa- 
tion. This  system  of  control  has  not  always  proved  a  happy 
one  for  the  library,  because  the  education  of  children  is  not 
the  only  function  of  the  public  library,  and  when  the  entire 
aim  of  two  institutions  is  not  identical,  co-operation  is  better 
than  unification.  In  many  more  cases  the  superintendent  of 
public  instruction  is  a  member  of  the  board  of  control  of  the 
library,  either  ex  officio,  or  by  election.  This  is  as  it  should 
be,  but  the  connection  should  be  made  still  closer  by  appoint- 
ing the  librarian  a  member  of  the  school  board.  Each  in- 
stitution would  then  have  representation  in  the  board  of  con- 
trol of  the  other,  and  each  would  be  represented  by  its  ex- 
ecutive officer.  Executive  representation  would  be  the  very 
best,  because  the  questions  which  arise  upon  which  practical 
advice  from  the  point  of  view  of  the  fellow  institution  would 
be  valuable,  would  naturally  be  those  of  method  and  detail, 
rather  than  of  general  policy. 

The  advance  toward  co-operation  must  naturally  come 
from  the  library  as  the  younger,  but  more  particularly  as  the 
less  understood  institution.  It  is  perfectly  obvious  that  unless 
the  librarian  has  the  co-operation  of  the  superintendent  of 
education,  principals,  and  teachers,  his  efforts  will  be  useless, 
and  worse  than  useless — wasted.  To  secure  this  necessary  co- 
operation, the  librarian  must  have  something  definite  to  offer. 
He  cannot  induce  teachers  to  adopt  his  plans  because  it 
would  be  a  good  thing  for  the  library,  and  a  method  of  in- 
creasing its  circulation.  He  will,  indeed,  need  to  be  able  to 
meet  the  objection  on  the  part  of  some  teachers  that  his 
plans  for  co-operation  are  but  a  plausible  scheme  for  making 
them  do  his  work.  Again,  it  is  not  wise,  and  certainly  not 
necessary,  to  offer  a  new  set  of  school  readers  or  text-books, 
even  under  the  attractive  name  of  supplementary  reading. 
Such  books  should  be  a  part  of  the  regular  school  curriculum, 
and  should  be  provided  in  the  same  way  as  other  text-books, 
by  the   school    authorities   or  private   purchase.      All    required 


LI r>R.\m'  r.ooKs.ix  scikjcjls  185 

reading  is  esscntiall}-  a  part  of  the  school  curriculum,  and 
should  be  definitely  considered  in  making  up  grade  work. 
Very  certain  it  is  that  the  teacher  should  not  be  promised 
through  the  library  a  new  system  of  rewards  and  punish- 
ments. While  the  wise  teacher  will  seek  to  regulate  the  pu- 
pil's reading,  and  while  she  may  even  think  it  necessary  to 
cut  down  the  amount  in  certain  cases,  she  will  no  more  think 
of  depriving  the  child  of  his  library  book  on  account  of  a 
breach  of  discipline  than  of  taking  away  his  text-books  for 
the  same  reason. 

What,  then,  has  the  library  to  ofTer  to  the  school  to  en- 
list the  interest  of  the  teachers,  to  make  them  zvaut  the  li- 
brary, to  induce  them  to  undertake  the  work  necessary  to  care 
for  and  keep  track  of  the  books  and  provide  the  very  few,  but 
verj^  necessary,  statistics  which  the  library  must  have?  It 
seems  necessary  to  digress  here  long  enough  to  explain  the 
reason  why  the  library  cannot  forego  the  few  statistics  which 
it  requires.  It  is  the  very  simple  one  that  appropriations  of 
money  are  dependent  upon  demonstrable  results,  and  definite 
figures  obtained  from  trustworthy  records  of  use  are  the  only 
results  which  can   be  shown. 

You  can  safely  say,  First,  that  the  library  will  add  to  the 
attractiveness  of  the  class-room.  Every  teacher  wants  her 
pupils  to  love  to  come  to  school,  and  knows  that  it  is  far 
easier  to  teach  happ.v,  interested  children,  than  impatient  or 
listless  ones.  The  library  will  add  interest.  It  will  help  to 
make  the  school-room  a  place   of  jo}'  and  happiness. 

Scco)id:  The  librar}-  will  incite  to  interest  in  and  make 
more  easy  the  course  of  study.  It  will  illustrate  and  ex- 
plain the  subjects  taken   up. 

Third:  It  will  increase  the  mind  capacity  of  the  pupils, 
increasing  their  al)ilitv  to  acquire  knowledge. 

Fourth:  It  will  establish  a  new  relation  between  pupil  aUvl 
teacher,  a  more  personal  relation;  one  in  which  the  one  in 
command    gives   place   to   the    counsellor   and   friend. 

Fifth:  Good  teachers  regret  that  they  have  to  deal  with 
their  classes  cu  masse;  that  they  have  to  hew  all  to  a  line — to 
form  all  in  the  same  mould.  Here  is  something  that  will 
foster  individuality  without  interfering  with  routine.  Here  is 
the  opportunity   for  the   child  of  exceptional   abilities   to   rise 


i86  -  H,ENRY  L.  ELMENDORF 

above  the  level  insisted  upon  in  school,  and  to  receive  help, 
stimulus,  and  instruction  in  the  line  of  his  individual  taste. 
Here  is  a  means  by  which  the  teacher  may  discover  a  taste  or 
capacity  in  the  child,  which,  wisely  fed,  may  illuminate  not 
only  his  school  life,  but  his  whole  existence. 

There  are  many  other  advantages  which  can  be  urged 
in  definite  cases  where  generalities  are  not  enough;  when 
you  are  not  attempting  to  establish  a  proposition  or  theory, 
but  seeking  to  awaken  individual  interest,  and  each  such  case 
will  call  for  specific  consideration  and   application. 

This  work  can  be  best  done  by  the  public  library,  because 
the  library  is  a  single-headed  institution,  and  because  the  li- 
brarian should  know  most  about  the  general  subject  of  chil- 
dren's books  and  children's  reading.  He  will  also  have  at 
hand  the  means  for  the  economical  purchase  of  books  and 
the  trained  -force  to  prepare  them  for  use.  H  it  is  a  question 
of  money,  and  the  library  cannot  afford  to  send  books  to 
the  schools,  there  should  be  a  readjustment  of  appropriations 
This  is  not  usually  difficult  to  secure,  provided  you  have  the 
hearty  co-operation  of  both  school  and  library  authorities. 
Moreover,  this  poverty  objection  is  seldom  valid,  because  it 
is  neither  necessary  nor  wise  to  begin  on  a  large  scale.  A 
single  school  or  a  single  class-room  supplied  with  a  well- 
chosen  library  will  serve  as  a  start.  If  it  is  successful  the 
system  cannot  fail  to  grow,  and  if  it  is  demanded,  the  funds 
for  maintenance  will  be  forthcoming. 

When  the  preliminaries  are  arranged,  the  wise  librarian 
will  make  all  his  plans  and  arrangements  as  simple  as  pos- 
sible. The  work  of  the  teacher  must  be  made  light  by  the 
very  simplest  of  records — c.  g.,  an  alphabetic  list  of  the  books 
with  space  for  the  name  of  the  pupil,  date  taken  and  date  re- 
turned, or  simpler  still,  a  slip  with  place  for  number,  author, 
title,  pupil's  name,  date  of  drawing,  and  date  of  return,  made 
up  into  pads.  The  pupil  can  fill  out  such  a  slip  himself,  and 
hang  it  on  a  hook  on  the  teacher's  desk.  These  can  be  taken 
off  as  the  books  are  returned,  and  saved  for  the  library  rec- 
ords. All  statistics  should  be  gathered  and  talnilated  by  the 
library,  and  not  be  required  of  the  teacher.  Not  only  should 
the  work  be  made  light  for  the  teacher,  but  the  responsibility 


LIBRARY   BOOKS    IN    SCHOOLS  187 

also.  Rules  lor  the  use  of  the  books  should  l)e  <>f  tiie  teacher's 
making.  Let  it  be  understood  that  the  books  are  for  use.  and 
use  in  every  way  the  teacher  thinks  best,  to  be  read  in  the 
school,  in  the  class,  by  the  teacher  or  taken  home;  that  rea- 
sonable care  should  be  taken  of  them,  but  no  more  than  of 
any  school  property;  and  that  if  loss  or  damage  occurs,  there 
is   no  money  liability  for  the   teacher. 

The  selection  of  books  can  best  be  made  in  consulta- 
tion with  the  teacher.  It  is  possible,  however,  that  the  li- 
brary may  have  to  make  up  the  lirst  collection.  When  these 
are  sent  to  the  class-room,  it  should  be  made  plain  that  if 
any  of  the  books  are  found  unsuitable,  that  they  will  be 
changed;  that  the  library  has  many  more  books  on  the  same 
subjects,  and  that  any  special  books  the  teacher  wants  will 
be  added.  In  short,  the  teachers  should  be  made  to  know 
that  the  library  means  to  work  with  them  according  to  their 
needs,  and  has  no  ironclad  system  to  impose.  The  books 
should  be  chosen  with  a  full  knowledge  of  the  course  of 
study  and  with  some  reference  thereto — with  reference  to 
the  age  of  the  pupils  and  their  intelligence  as  to  books  and 
reading.  A  class  of  children  from  a  poor  community  or  a 
foreign  parentage  will  require  simpler  books  than  a  class  of 
equal  age  and  school  grade  from  a  neighborhood  where 
books  abound  in  the   homes. 

Fortunately,  as  the  number  of  books  it  is  possible  to 
send  to  a  class-room,  and  that  can  be  used  to  advantage, 
is  necessarily  very  limited,  the  disputed  question  of  general 
book  selection  need  not  trouble  us.  It  is  not  a  question  of 
the  exclusion  of  immoral  books,  nor,  in  fact,  the  exclusion 
of  anything.  It  is  rather  the  selection  of  the  best  for  the 
purpose  desired.  What  constitutes  a  good  book  for  chil- 
dren is  a  subject  in  regard  to  which  the  library  brethren  are 
apt  to  prefer  to  generalize.  Courting  criticism  for  enlight- 
enment, some  of  the  definite  characteristics  which  it  seems 
proper  to  consider  in  school  selection  are  here  given: 

First:  The  book  should  be  attractive  in  appearance,  in- 
cluding letter-press,  illustrations,  condition  and  binding. 

Second:  It  should  be  in  good  English.  This  includes  not 
only  correct  grammar,  well-chosen  words  and  perfect  sen- 
tences, but  words   and   stvle  suited  to  the  matter.     This   would 


]88  .  HENRY  L.  ELMENDORF 

eliminate  entirely  history  in  words  of  one  syllable  and  most 
of   the   written-down    rehash   of   great  authors. 

Third:  The  matter  should  be  of  interest  to  children.  It 
should  touch  their  previous  knowledge  or  experience  some- 
where. 

Fourth:  The  books  must  be  true.  Not  necessarily  fact, 
for  fancy  and  fable  may  be  as  true  as  the  figures  which  can- 
not lie,  but  what  they  pretend  to  be.  Animals  may  talk,  as 
in  the  "Jungle  book,"  but  in  a  book  on  nature  study,  the 
caterpillar  should  not  meditate  on  its  next  metamorphosis, 
or  the  peach  tree  plan  for  the  distribution  of  its  pits. 

Fifth:  Closely  connected  with  the  above  is  the  require- 
ment that  the  books  shall  be  true  to  life  and  morals.  Not 
necessarily  teaching  patriotism,  respect  for  parents,  teachers 
and  superiors,  truth  and  the  like,  but  rather  taking  the  ex- 
cellence of. these  things  for  granted.  Seeking  for  the  best  in 
this  way  will  exclude  the  class  of  books  which  make  it  seem 
•"smart"  to  lie,  to  cheat,  and  to  get  ahead  of  those  in  au- 
thority, as  well  as  those  which  tell  of  the  good  little  prigs 
who  convert  whole  neighborhoods,  beginning  with  their 
fathers. 

Sixth:  In  fairy  tales,  horrors  for  the  sake  of  horror  should 
be  avoided,  more  particulary  fleshly  horrors,  like  the  story 
of  the  little  girl's  nose  that  grew  to  the  proportion  of  an 
elephant's  trunk,  and  the  giant  who  provided  soup  meat  by 
knocking  his  head  against  a  stationary  meat  hook,  ghoul 
stories  and  the  like.  Stories  of  cruel  step-mothers  and  wicked 
uncles  are  surely  not  the  best  to  give  children  who  may  have 
step-mothers   or  uncles   for  guardians. 

Seventh:  In  poetry  for  children  the  search  for  the  best 
will  exclude  the  subjective  poetry  which  portrays  only 
the  sentiments  and  emotions  of  parents.  The  class-room 
library  should  contain  a  liberal  supply  of  poetry,  presenting 
vivid  pictures  and  sentences  which  can  l)e  acted  out.  A 
simple  trial  will  convince  you  how  strong  is  the  child's  in- 
stinctive love  of  rhythm,  and  how  much  children  appreciate 
the  very  best.  There  arc  many  excellent  collections,  such  as 
"Verse  and  prose  for  l)eginncrs,"  Lucas's  "Poetry  for  chil- 
dren," and  Repplier's  "Book  of  famous  verse,"  which  may  be 


jji',k\m'  r.ooKS  IN  SCHOOLS  189 

considered  better  than  the  (.•'IKcted  works  of  iiidivifhial 
poets.  Care  should  he  taken  tliat  tlie  compiler's  name  and 
the  publisher's  imprint  give  {guarantee  for  the  purity  oi  the 
text. 

These  are  only  a  few  of  the  tests  that  may  be  applied  in 
this  search  for  the  best.  Tlie  wise  librarian  will  think  of  many 
others  which  apply  to  his  own  circumstances  and  environ- 
ment. The  aim  should  be  to  secure  the  best  books,  not  so 
much  to  add  to  the  number  of  facts  the  pupil  has,  as  to  the 
cultivation  of  his  capacity  to  learn,  his  love  of  books  and 
his  taste  for  good  books.  Lists  and  catalogs  of  books  are 
useful,  as  reminders  to  teachers,  but  of  little  value  to  pupils, 
who  should  see  and  handle  the  books  themselves,  choose 
them  themselves.  They  should  have  the  benefit  of  the  edu- 
cation and  pleasure  which  choice  for  themselves  gives,  the 
"paternalism"  being  exercised  to  give  them  only  the  best  to 
choose   from. 

The  statement  has  often  been  made  by  careful  com- 
pilers of  school  statistics  that  more  than  half  our  school 
children  drop  out  of  school  before  the  age  of  12.  This  is 
certainly  true  in  Buffalo.  Those  entering  the  first  grade  in 
1892  numbered  9601.  Five  years  after  only  3750  entered 
the  sixth  grade.  The  class  that  entered  the  first  grade 
in  1889  numbering  8465,  entered  the  ninth  grade  with 
only  1668  children.  This  clearly  shows  that  if  we  are  to  do 
anything  for  the  great  majority,  we  must  do  it  in  the  lower 
grades.  If  we  can  only  teach  the  children  who  leave  school 
so  early  to  love  good  books  before  they  go,  let  them  know 
that  these  books  may  be  had  from  the  public  library  after 
the  school  days  are  over,  the  matter  of  how  much  informa- 
tion of  other  sorts  we  have  helped  to  give  is  of  insignificant 
importance. 

In  conclusion.  I  wish  to  add  that  for  myself  I  believe 
that  this  work  is  better  worth  the  doing  than  any  other  the 
library  does. 


THE  SCHOOL  LIBRARY  QUESTION  IX  NEW 
YORK  CITY 

One  of  the  cities  in  which  the  success  of  the  Buffalo 
plan  of  co-opera,tion  had  attracted  attention  was  New 
York.  x\s  a  result  of  the  study  of  that  plan,  a  modifica- 
tion of  it  was  adopted  in  which  the  School  Board  pro- 
posed to  do  by  itself  what  the  Library  and  the  Schools 
together  were  doing  in  Buffalo.  The  New  York  Board 
established  a  Library  Department  of  its  own  and  the 
scheme  looked  forward  to  the  absolute  independence  of 
this  department  from  the  Public  Library.  This  plan 
seemed  to  some  critics  like  wasteful  duplication.  The  city 
Comptroller  instituted  an  investigation  which  was  car- 
ried out  by  Mrs.  Mathilde  C.  Ford.  Her  report,  which 
created  some  stir,  is  interesting  not  only  as  elucidating 
the  local  situation,  but  as  laying  down  some  principles 
of  co-operation  that  have  been  accepted  by  most  authori- 
ties. 

Mathilde  C.  Ford  was  born  in  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  in 
1862  and  is  a  graduate  of  Beaver  College,  Pa.,  the  State 
Normal  School  at  Edinboro,  Pa.  and  Cook  County  Nor- 
mal School,  Chicago,  111.,  where  she  taught  in  1889- '90. 
She  was  assistant  superintendent  of  schools  in  Detroit, 
]\Iich.,  in  1890-'97,  lectured  to  teachers  in  25  states  in 
1888-1900,  and  since  1904  has  been  expert  in  educational 
matters  in  the  Department  of  Finance,  New  York  City. 
As  the  result  of  wide  experience  in  elementary  educa- 
tion, I  have  come  to  believe  that  teaching  children  to  read 

13 


192  -  MATHILDE    C.    FORD 

is  the  primary  purpose  of  the  common  school,  and  to  know 
that  skill  in  the  art  of  reading  can  only  be  developed  through 
a  great  amount  of  practice.  During  the  years  in  which  a 
child  is  learning  to  read  he  needs  a  more  abundant  supply 
of  good  reading  matter  than  can  possibly  be  provided  for  the 
ordinary  school-room,  and  as  the  average  home  is  sadly 
deficient  in  this  respect  he  must  form  the  habit  of  going  to 
the  library  if  his  need  is  to  be  supplied.  The  public  school 
and  the  public  library  are  co-ordinate  parts  of  our  great  sys- 
tem of  popular  education  and  they  should  co-operate  directly 
in  the  work  of  educating  the  masses.  Under  the  Carnegie 
endowment,  New  York  city  is  rapidly  establishing  the  most 
magnificent  system  of  public  libraries  which  the  world  has 
ever  seen,  and,  to  my  mind,  it  is  a  deplorable  fact  that  in 
the  very  face  of  this  vast  library  development  the  Depart- 
ment of  Education  has  adopted  a  policy  which  practically 
ignores  the  existence  of  the  whole  library  system.  Instead 
of  teaching  the  children  to  use  the  public  libraries,  which 
are  everywhere  at  hand,  the  educational  authorities  have  set 
up  a  miniature  plant  of  their  own  which  has  ten  thousand 
different  branches  with  an  average  annual  maintenance  fund 
of  about  four  dollars  and  a  half  each.  This  ill-advised 
scheme  was  adopted  by  the  Board  of  Education  just  when 
the  time  was  ripe  for  a  great  educational  advance  through 
systematic  co-operation  between  the  school  system  and  the 
libraries.  The  organization  of  the  school  system  which  fol- 
lowed upon  the  consolidation  of  the  greater  city  coincided 
in  point  of  time  with  the  extension  of  the  library  system, 
due  to  the  generosity  of  Mr.  Carnegie,  and  so  presented  the 
opportunity  for  an  alignment  of  these  two  educational  forces. 
There  can  be  no  question  that  the  main  function  of  the 
common  school  is  to  teach  people  to  read  and  all  its  efforts 
should  center  in  this  primary  purpose.  The  average  child 
in  New  York  City  attends  school  about  six  years,  and  during 
this  time  the  main  essential  is  to  help  him  to  master  the 
process  of  getting  thought  through  the  printed  page,  and  to 
give  him  a  taste  for  good  reading.  This  is  about  all  the 
public  school  can  do  for  the  masses,  and  it  is  more  than  has 
ever  been  accomplished  up  to  the  present  time.  With  all 
our  boasts,  the  great  majority  of  the  people  who  attend  the 


SCHOOL  LIIIKAKIES  IX   XEW  YORK  193 

public  schools  never  learn  to  read  even  the  simplest  matter 
with  anything  like  a  fair  degree  of  ease  and  rapidity.  To 
verify  this  statement,  which  may  seem  amazing  to  you,  ob- 
serve the  tedious  and  laborious  process  which  most  people 
go  through  in  reading  a  simple  story  or  the  morning  paper. 
For  the  majority  of  them,  reading  is  drudgery  because  the 
mere  mechanics  of  the  process  have  never  been  mastered, 
not  to  speak  of  the  power  to  co-ordinate  and  assimilate  the 
thought.  The  mastery  of  this  mechanical  process,  or  what 
is  technically  called  "learning  to  read,"  is  the  most  difficult 
part  of  elementary  school  work  and  it  is,  therefore,  the  part 
in  which  results  have  been  least  satisfactory.  And  why? 
Mainly  for  the  want  of  books.  We  have  had  schools  and 
teachers  but  not  books.  The  child  who  is  learning  to  read 
needs  books,  not  one  book  or  even  half  a  dozen,  but  many 
books.  His  progress  will  depend  almost  entirely  on  the 
amount  of  interesting  reading  at  his  command.  He  must 
read,  and  read  and  continue  to  read,  much  as  he  learned  to 
talk  through  constant  exercise,  li  the  average  child  could 
have  books  enough  of  the  right  sort,  he  would  almost  teach 
himself  to  read  with  the  small  assistance  that  he  would 
naturally  seek  from  those  about  him.  It  is  a  startling  fact, 
and  a  wonderfully  suggestive  one  for  those  engaged  in  the 
business  of  education,  that  about  the  only  childen  who  ever 
acquire  skill  in  reading  are  those  who  never  attend  school. 
They  learn  at  home  in  the  midst  of  a  great  abundance  of  at- 
tractive  and  wisely  chosen   books  and   papers. 

Some  twent3^-five  years  ago,  educators  discovered  that 
the  main  reasons  why  children  did  not  learn  to  read  was 
because  of  the  meagre  supply  of  reading  matter  provided  for 
the  schools,  it  being  customary  at  that  time  for  a  child  to 
have  but  one  reading  book.  As  a  result  of  this  discovery  a 
great  agitation  for  supplementary  readers  spread  over  the 
country,  and  most  schools  are  now  supplied  with  such  read- 
ing matter  in  the  form  of  selections  from  standard  litera- 
ture, stories  from  history  and  mythology,  and  books  on  ele- 
mentary science.  These  books  are  provided  in  sets  and  arc 
used  for  class  work,  all  children  in  a  given  section  reading 
the  same  story  at  the  same  time.  But  it  has  now  become 
clear    that    even    this    is    not    enough.      In    addition    to    such 


194  MATHILDE    C.    FORD 

books,  every  child  should  have  a  generous  supply  of  easy 
attractive  reading  matter  of  a  more  general  nature,  and  it 
was  to  meet  this  need  that  the  class  library  system  was 
adopted  by  the  Board  of  Education  some  two  years  ago. 

The  city  of  New  York  receives  annually  from  the  state 
about  $22,000  for  school  library  purposes,  on  the  condition 
that  it  shall  appropriate  a  like  amount  for  the  same  purpose, 
so  that  about  $44,000  is  available  for  school  libraries  each 
year.  During  the  time  required  to  centralize  the  educational 
interests  of  the  greater  city,  following  upon  consolidation, 
the  library  appropriations  of  the  several  boroughs  accumu- 
lated, the  entire  balance  available  for  library  purposes  in 
April,  1903,  being  nearly  $139,000.  In  shaping  educational 
policies  for  the  greater  city,  a  plan  was  adopted  which  pro- 
vided that  this  money  was  to  be  applied,  as  far  as  practicable, 
to  the  establishment  of  a  small  circulating  library  in  each 
of  the  class-rooms  of  the  elementary  schools.  The  money 
was  therefore  apportioned  among  the  various  schools  of  the 
city  on  the  basis  of  the  number  of  classes  in  each,  schools 
already  having  some  library  books  receiving  nine  dollars 
and  eighty  cents  per  class  and  those  without  such  books 
sixteen  dollars  and  sixty  cents  per  class.  In  addition  to 
the  appropriation  for  class  libraries,  each  school  received  a 
small  allotment  for  reference  books  to  be  placed  in  its 
Teachers'  and  Reference  Library.  Mr.  Claude  G.  Leland, 
of  Buffalo,  who  was  appointed  Superintendent  of  Libraries, 
in  charge  of  this  work,  prepared  a  graded  list  of  books  suit- 
able for  use  in  the  different  school  years  from  which  princi- 
pals made  their  selections.  It  required  time  to  make  out 
requisitions,  receive  bids,  award  contracts,  and  deliver  books, 
and  it  is  only  now  that  the  class  libraries  are  getting  into 
operation  in  the  schools  in  accordance  with  this  plan.  It 
would  therefore  be  too  soon  to  pass  judgment  upon  the 
plan  were  it  not  that  it  is  wrong  in  principle.  It  stands  in 
the  way  of   true   progress. 

A  class  library  has  some  thirty  books  to  start  with  and 
an  average  annual  allowance  of  something  over  four  dollars 
for  the  purchase  of  new  books  and  the  replacing  of  old  ones. 
These  facts  alone  condemn  the  system,  LTnder  the  present 
plan,  the  class  libraries  are  and  must  continue  to  be  too  small 


SCIIOOT.  Ur.RAKIKS    1\   NKW  YORK  195 

to  be  of  any  practical  value  for  the  purpose  intended.  It 
is  a  misnomer  to  call  them  libraries.  As  Superintendent 
Maxwell  said  when  the  plan  was  under  consideration,  'W 
little  observation  and  reflection  will  convince  any  intelligent 
person  that  in  our  large  schools  the  class  library  is  im- 
possible. There  are  about  10.000  classes  in  the  elementary 
schools.  We  have  not  the  means  to  provide  10,000  libraries." 
Nevertheless,  in  the  face  of  this,  the  plan  was  adopted  anrl 
an  expensive  machine  was  created  in  the  schools,  which 
can  never  be  effective  unless  it  is  transformed  by  turning  it 
over  to  the  Public  Library  and  making  it  a  part  of  that 
system.  Thirty  books  as  a  permanent  collection  in  a  school- 
room is  of  small  value.  There  may  be  more  than  one  or  two 
out  of  this  number  that  a  given  boy  or  girl  will  want  to 
read.  But  thirty  books  drawn  from  the  Public  Library  to 
meet  the  needs  of  a  particular  class  at  any  given  time,  and 
changed  from  time  to  time  as  occasion  requires,  w^ould  be  a 
valuable  addition  to  any  schoolroom. 

It  is  not  the  business  of  the  Department  of  Education 
to  supply  the  children  of  this  city  with  reading  matter  for 
the  homes.  This  work  belongs  to  the  circulating  department 
of  the  Public  Library  which  is  maintained  by  the  city  for  the 
purpose  of  providing  books  for  children  as  well  as  for  adults. 
The  school  system  is  maintained  for  a  different  purpose, 
namely,  to  prepare  the  people  to  use  the  libraries.  There 
has  come  to  be  a  clear  division  of  labor  between  the  schools 
and  the  libraries,  and  it  is  important  that  those  who  are 
shaping  the  educational  policies  of  this  great  metropolis 
should  recognize  the  fact,  because  this  division  of  labor  is 
already  creating  the  demand  for  systematic  co-operation 
between  the  two  institutions.  Never  before  in  the  history 
of  the  world  were  conditions  so  auspicious  for  popular  edu- 
cation as  in  these  opening  years  of  the  twentieth  century, 
and  just  because  of  this  the  need  for  intelligent  direction  in 
school  affairs  has  never  been  so  great  as  now.  It  is  of  su- 
preme importance  that  the  foundations  for  the  educational 
structure  which  this  imperial  city  is  building  should  be  laid 
upon  right  lines. 

The  school  and  the  library  are  products  of  the  same 
forces,   they   are   co-ordinate   factors   in   the   mighty   work   of 


196  ^  MATHILDE    C.    FORD 

educating  the  masses,  and  they  are  so  mutually  dependent  that 
neither  one  can  function  fully  save  through  the  other.  The 
chief  instrument  of  both  is  the  printed  book.  The  printing 
press  first  brought  books  within  reach  of  the  common  people 
during  those  pregnant  centuries  when  the  exploration  of  a 
new  world,  the  revival  of  learning  and  the  Reformation  were 
creating  a  popular  demand  for  knowledge.  The  popular 
impetus  given  to  human  life  by  the  rise  of  physical  science, 
and  its  application  through  invention  during  the  eighteenth 
and  nineteenth  centuries,  has  transformed  human  activity 
and  is  now  promising  to  culminate  in  the  scientific  organiza- 
tion of  intelligence  and  its  universal  diffusion  among  men. 
In  America,  the  movement  for  popular  education  first 
gathered  force  about  the  middle  of  the  nineteenth  century 
and  has  since  been  expending  its  ever  increasing  energies 
in  establishing  public  schools  and  founding  public  libraries. 
From  Massachusetts  throughout  the  land  free  libraries  have 
followed  fast  upon  free  schools,  and  these  two  triumphant 
institutions  of  the  modern  world  are  now  being  drawn  to- 
gether by  the  same  forces  which  are  compelling  co-operation 
in  other  fields  of  labor. 

A  striking  feature  of  the  great  library  movement  which 
has  spread  over  this  country  since  1876,  and  which  must 
eventually  make  the  public  library  as  universal  as  the  public 
school,  has  been  the  rising  consciousness  concerning  the 
need  of  direct  co-operation  between  these  two  institutions. 
As  early  as  1879  the  Boston  school  authorities  began  to  con- 
fer with  the  library  officials  of  that  city  concerning  this  im- 
portant matter,  and  together  they  have  since  worked  out  a 
plan  of  co-operation  which  is  now  producing  gratifying  re- 
sults. Chicago  started  such  work  in  1883.  Time  will  not 
permit  me  to  speak  in  detail  of  what  has  been  accomplished 
in  the  way  of  developing  a  working  relation  between  the 
schools  and  the  libraries  in  Boston,  Chicago,  St.  Louis, 
Pittsburgh,  Buffalo,  Milwaukee  and  other  cities,  nor  is  it 
necessary  for  me  to  do  so  before  this  audience,  as  you  are 
already  familiar  with  these  developments.  Suffice  it  to  say 
that  the  metropolis  lags  behind  in  this  great  work,  and  that 
the    responsibility    lies    with    the    Department    of    Education. 


SCHOOL   LIP.KARIKS    IX    X1<:\V   YOkK  197 

For  a  number  of  years  I  have  watched  with  profound 
interest  the  development  of  library  facilities  for  children  in 
the  branches  of  the  New  York  Public  Library,  and  I  am 
familiar  with  the  splendid  efforts  which  the  branch  libraries 
and  the  travelling-  library  division  have  made  to  reach  the 
children  of  this  city,  but  I  am  convinced  that  substantial 
results  cannot  be  achieved  without  the  hearty  co-operation 
of  the  teachers  in  the  public  schools — such  co-operation  as 
can  only  be  secured  by  means  of  an  official  relation  which 
will  make  the  use  of  the  libraries  a  part  of  the  regular  work 
of  the  schools.  Until  the  teachers  themselves  use  the  li- 
braries, and  until  they  send  their  pupils  to  the  libraries  for 
information  pertaining  to  school  work,  and  for  books  which 
have  been  recommended,  no  great  work  can  be  accomplished 
with  the  children  of  the  city.  At  present,  the  teachers  are 
so  occupied  with  less  important  tasks  that  they  have  not 
even  time  to  use  the  small  teachers'  and  reference  libraries 
which  are  found  in  the  school  buildings.  LTncut  leaves  in 
standard  books  which  have  been  on  the  shelves  for  several 
years  tell  a  tale.  The  new  education  seems  to  have  resolved 
itself  into  an  apotheosis  of  the  non-essential.  If  the  teachers 
could  be  freed  from  the  mass  of  worthless  detail  which  now 
enslaves  them  and  given  time  to  spend  each  day  in  a  library 
preparing  for  the  next  day's  work  and  renewing  their 
spiritual  forces,  they  might  then  be  able  to  give  the  children 
that  mental  stimulus  which  is  the  very  essence  of  real  teach- 
ing. True  teaching  arouses  the  child's  interest  and  thereby 
creates  a  demand  for  knowledge  which  can  only  be  sup- 
plied through  the  wider  use  of  books.  So  long  as  the  mere 
textbook  suffices  for  most  of  the  teaching  in  the  schools, 
our  methods  of  instruction  have  not  gotten  far  beyond  the 
traditional  textbook  grind,  and  our  much  flaunted  educa- 
tional progress  remains  a  beautiful  theory  which  has  yet 
to  be  reduced  to  practice.  The  saddest  criticism  which 
can  be  made  on  the  city  schools  is  the  fact  that  they  have 
no  conscious   need  of  the  public  libraries. 

But  the  greatest  objection  to  the  present  class  library 
scheme  is  not  that  the  libraries  are  so  small,  but  that  the}- 
do  not  connect  through  with  the  larger  libraries  beyond.  If 
a   class  library  were   a  collection   of  books   drawn  from   the 


198  MATHILDE    C.    FORD 

public  library  for  use  in  the  schoolroom,  sent  upon  applica- 
tion from  the  teacher,  selected  by  the  pupils  with  the  help 
of  the  teacher,  read  under  her  supervision,  changed  from 
time  to  time  to  meet  the  changing  needs  of  the  class,  and 
used  primarily  for  the  purpose  of  helping  the  children  to 
an  independent  use  of  the  public  libraries  it  would  be  an  ad- 
mirable educational  instrument.  This  is  what  it  should  be 
and  what  it  now  is  in  many  other  cities. 

The  class  library  scheme  now  in  operation  in  the  New 
York  schools  was  copied  from  Buffalo,  but  it  was  shorn  of 
its  vitality  by  being  grafted  upon  the  school  system  instead 
of  remaining  a  part  of  the  public  library  system  as  it  is  in 
that  city.  It  should  be  turned  over  to  the  Public  Library 
where  it  naturally  belongs.  In  order  to  accomplish  this  re- 
form, it  is  obvious  that  the  Department  of  Education  must 
take  the  initiative.  Concerning  the  financial  aspect  of  such 
a  transfer,  either  of  two  plans  is  feasible.  The  Department 
of  Education  might  use  its  library  fund  for  the  purchase 
of  supplementary  reading  matter  as  was  originally  intended 
by  the  law,  in  which  case  it  would  doubtless  be  necessary 
for  the  Public  Library  to  have  an  extra  appropriation  from 
the  city  to  carry  on  this  work  in  the  schools,  or  the  De- 
partment of  Education  might  make  an  arrangement  with  the 
library  authorities  by  which  the  latter  would  use  the  school 
library  fund  for  the  purchase  of  books  to  use  in  the  schools, 
as  is  now  done  in  Buffalo.  As  to  the  details  of  a  co-operative 
plan  which  would  meet  the  needs  of  New  York  City,  I  do 
not  presume  to  speak,  further  than  to  express  my  belief 
that  such  a  plan  could  be  worked  out  by  the  experts  con- 
nected with  the  Public  Library  with  the  assistance  of  the 
school    superintendents   inclusive   of   Mr.    Leland. 

I  am  aware  that  this  is  a  problem  of  vast  magnitude, 
and  that  its  solution  is  beset  with  difficulties,  but  it  must  be 
faced  in  the  near  future.  The  demand  for  higher  educational 
results  will  compel  its  solution.  Through  all  the  centuries 
science  or  intelligence  has  been  slowly  organizing  the  work 
of  the  world  through  the  greater  division  of  labor,  and  it 
is  now  about  to  compel  wider  co-operation  in  the  field  of 
education  in  order  to  accomplish  more  effective  results. 
Having   recognized    that   every    individual    is    entitled    to    an 


SCHOOL  LIIiRAklRS  IN  NEW  YORK  199 

education,  the  modern  world  is  bent  upon  the  realization  of 
this  sublime  idea,  but  it  can  only  be  effected  through  the  co- 
operative principle.  The  idea  of  organizing  ten  thousand 
libraries  in  the  schools  is  the  product  of  the  erroneous  no- 
tion that  the  school  is  an  institution  complete  within  itself 
and  sufficient  unto  itself,  rather  than  one  of  the  organs  in 
our  great  social  system  whose  vitality  consists  in  its  re- 
lation to  the  whole.  The  school  has  been  held  apart  from 
lite,  but  now  its  isolation  is  seen  to  be  its  greatest  defect. 
The  school  is  organically  related  to  the  home,  the  library,  and 
the  shop  and  the  future  of  education  lies  in  co-operation 
between   these   several   institutions. 


LIHRARV  \ISITS  TO  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS 

Co-operation  between  school  and  library  as  it  had  thus 
far  developed  and  as  it  has  been  set  forth  in  the  pre- 
ceding articles,  had  been  more  marked  by  efifort  on  the 
librarian's  side  than  on  that  of  the  teacher,  whose  reluc- 
tance to  recognize  the  librarian  as  a  fellow  educator, 
and  whose  unwillingness  to  let  even  supplementary  book- 
work  get  out  of  his  own  hands,  had  been  noticeable.  It 
had  now  become  evident  to  librarians  that  co-operation, 
to  be  effective,  must  be  accompanied  by  more  aggressive 
work  on  their  own  side.  An  outcome  of  this  feeling 
was  the  system  of  visits  paid  to  schools  by  members  of 
the  library  staff,  now  practised  in  some  form  by  almost 
every  library.  One  of  the  first  to  recognize  the  value  of 
this  plan  was  J\Iiss  x\nnie  Carroll  IMoore,  at  this  time 
in  charge  of  the  Children's  Room  in  the  Pratt  Institute 
Free  Library,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

Annie  Carroll  IMoore  was  born  in  Limerick,  Maine 
and  was  graduated  from  Limerick  Academy  in  1889  and 
Bradford  Academy  in  1891.  She  took  her  diploma  at 
Pratt  Institute  Library  School  in  1896  and  served  as 
children's  librarian  in  Pratt  Free  Library,  Brooklyn,  N. 
Y.,  from  that  year  until  1906.  In  that  year  she  organ- 
ized the  children's  work  in  the  New  York  Public  Library 
as  a  system,  and  has  since  been  its  Supervisor.  She  has 
lectured  widely  on  library  work  with  children. 

The  subject  of  co-operation  between  libraries  and 
schools    from    the    standpoint    of    the    supplj^    of    books    and 


202  -        ANNIE  CARROLL  MOORE 

methods  of  circulating  them  has  been  admirably  presented 
from  time  to  time  by  librarians  who  have  been  doing  organ- 
ized work  with  schools  for  many  years.  The  object  of  this 
paper  is  to  present  the  social  side  of  a  most  desirable  re- 
lationship by  a  partial  record  of  personal  experience  in  un- 
organized work  with  the  elementary  public  schools  of  a  large 
city. 

During  the  very  first  month  of  work  in  the  children's 
library  of  Pratt  Institute  the  need  for  active  human  relations 
between  the  children's  librarian  and  the  teacher,  the  children 
of  the  library  and  the  children  of  the  school  room  was  felt, 
and  efforts,  often  spasmodic  rather  than  systematic  by  rea- 
sons of  the  conditions  to  be  taken  into  account,  have  been 
made  to  bring  this  about.  While  gathering  statistics  of  the 
number  of  schools  represented  by  our  clientele  by  means  of 
a  check  list,  kept  upon  cards  and  arranged  by  school  and 
grade,  both  of  which  facts  are  recorded  on  the  application 
blank  and  in  the  children's  register,  we  were  endeavoring 
to  make  personal  acquaintance  with  every  teacher  who 
visited  the  room,  studying  the  public  school  reports,  the 
location  of  the  various  school  buildings,  etc.,  and  reading 
with  interest  the  various  records  of  public  school  and  public 
library  conditions  in  other  cities. 

There  are  about  130  public  school  buildings  for  the 
primary  and  grammar  grades  in  the  borough  of  Brooklyn, 
covering  a  very  large  area.  Up  to  the  time  of  the  establish- 
ment of  the  Brooklyn  Public  Library,  our  own  library,  with 
its  two  branches  (one  since  discontinued  and  the  other  trans- 
ferred to  the  Brooklyn  Public  Library)  and  the  LTnion  for 
Christian  Work  (also  transferred  to  the  Brooklyn  Public 
Library)  were  the  only  free  libraries  in  the  city.  There  was 
no  seeking  after  library  privileges  except  in  the  case  of  a 
very  few  individual  teachers.  The  majority  of  the  teachers 
in  the  elementary  schools  were  not  aware  of  the  privileges 
afforded  by  the  libraries  mentioned.  With  facilities  for 
organized  work  it  was  and  is  a  field  of  splendid  prospects. 
We,  however,  were  not  prepared  to  supply  school  duplicates 
nor  to  send  books  to  the  schools.  We  were  prepared  to  re- 
ceive the  teachers  and  the  children  at  the  library  and  to  give 
them  every  possible  means  of  assistance  in  connection  with 


LIBRARY  VISITS  TO  SCHOOLS  203 

their  school  work  as  well  as  in  their  general  reading.  Our 
problem  then  was  how  to  make  this  fact  known  in  such  a 
way  as  to  make  children  and  teachers  really  want  tf)  come. 

We  wrote  letters  of  invitation  to  school  principals  and 
teachers,  telling  them  that  the  library  would  be  glad  to  lend 
assistance  in  various  branches  of  the  school  work,  particu- 
larly in  the  study  of  English,  in  nature  study,  history,  geog- 
raphy, etc.  The  letters  sent  to  school  principals  received  a 
little  more  notice  than  a  general  circular.  They  were  usu- 
ally read  at  the  opening  exercises  of  the  school,  and  were 
sometimes  passed  about  among  the  teachers.  The  letters 
sent  to  individual  teachers  brought  more  satisfactory  results. 
Many  of  them  visited  the  library  and  procured  application 
blanks  for  their  classes  and  teachers'  cards  for  themselves. 
The  teacher's  card  entitles  the  holder  to  six  books  for  school 
room  use.     The  books  may  be  kept  one  month. 

We  sent,  and  continue  to  send,  notices  of  the  exhibitions 
which  are  to  be  held  in  the  art  gallery  of  the  library  during 
the  year.  A  great  many  teachers  have  responded  to  this 
invitation. 

In  order  to  get  a  better  idea  of  actual  conditions  in  the 
schools,  and  a  better  knowledge  of  the  reading  ability  of 
the  average  child  in  a  given  grade,  it  was  decided  that  the 
children's  librarian  should  visit  five  representative  schools 
noted  upon  our  list.  Out  of  the  130  schools  50  at  least  have 
been  represented  in  our  records. 

The  school  visits  began  in  the  principal's  office,  where 
half  a  precious  morning  was  sometimes  spent  before  an  op- 
portunity of  speaking  to  the  chief  functionary  could  be 
granted.  The  visitor  was  invariably  treated  with  great  po- 
liteness, the  library  was  spoken  of  as  "an  important  part  of 
an  admirable  institution  doing  noble  educational  work,'' 
but  there  was  no  apparent  desire  on  the  school  side  for  a 
union  of  forces.  The  request  to  visit  certain  classes  was 
readily  granted,  and  the  principal  frequently  offered  to  con- 
duct the  visitor  through  the  building.  One  such  visit,  at 
the  very  beginning  of  the  work,  filled  her  with  great  awe  of 
the  "system."  The  tour  of  the  building  was  made  in  breath- 
less haste,  and  there  was  no  time  for  visits  to  the  class  room. 
We  simply  rushed  through  the  rooms.     How  might  one  hope 


204  -       ANNIE  CARROLL  MOORE 

to  penetrate  walls  of  apparent  impenetrability  and  really 
come  to  know  the  inmates?  That  even  such  a  visit  might 
have  results  was  a  great  surprise,  but  was  evidenced  by  the 
return  of  one  of  our  old  boys  with  several  new  ones,  who 
were  introduced  after  this  fashion: 

"These  fellers  here  want  to  join,  I  told  'em  about  the 
lib'ry.  I  left  my  card  here  and  forgot  all  about  it.  When 
I  saw  our  principal  chase  you  through  our  school  yesterday 
I  thought  I'd  like  to  belong  again.  I  told  the  teacher  you 
was  from  Pratt's,  and  she  said  she  guessed  she  would  come 
to  the  lib'ry  some  day.     She's  never  seen  it." 

The  visitor  was  usually  introduced  by  the  school  princi- 
pal to  the  head  of  the  department,  and  by  her  to  the  grade 
teacher  to  whose  class  the  visit  was  to  be  paid.  The  same 
grades  were  visited  in  each  school  and  a  very  striking  dem- 
onstration of  the  value  of  books,  other  than  text-books  and 
supplementary  readers,  in  the  primary  grades  was  furnished 
by  a  comparison  of  the  efforts  of  individual  children  and  by 
the  testimony  of  their  teachers. 

It  had  been  requested  that  the  regular  school  work 
should  not  be  set  aside  on  the  occasion  of  these  visits,  and 
that  an  exercise  in  reading  should  be  introduced  at  the  close 
of  the  regular  lesson  when  it  did  not  form  the  subject  of  the 
lesson  itself.  We,  therefore,  listened  to  a  great  many  inter- 
esting and  uninteresting  exercises;  some  remarkable  feats 
were  performed  in  the  field  of  phonetics,  by  one  of  which  a 
little  boy,  who  read  delightfully,  was  cured  of  saying 
"twistles"  for  "twirls,"  and  promised,  to  my  great  regret, 
never  to  say  "twistles"  again.  Among  illuminating  sentences 
for  blackboard  sight-reading  the  following  seemed  worthy 
of  note:  "There  are  many  wild  scenes  in  Africa,"  read  a  boy 
with  lusty  lungs.  At  the  mention  of  Africa  several  dull 
faces  brightened.  "Boys,  what  is  a  scene?"  "Another  kind 
of  animal"  seemed  a  very  natural  reply.  "Boys,  a  scene 
is  anything  you  can  see.  There  are  many  of  these  wild  in 
Africa."     The  class  sank  back  into  lethargy. 

Lessons  in  drawing,  sewing,  singing  and  in  physical  ex- 
ercises were  observed,  and  after  filling  out  a  list  of  the  re- 
quirements made  upon  the  grade  teacher  we  ceased  to 
wonder  that  a  letter  or  a  proposition  upon  any  subject,  hov/- 


LIBRARY  VISITS  TO  SCHOOLS  205 

ever  closely  allied  to  her  own  work,  fails  to  produce  more 
than  a  faint  shade  of  interest  on  the  teacher's  part.  What 
with  the  pressure  of  the  closely  crowded  school  curriculum, 
demanding  semi-annual  promotions,  the  lectures  on  psychol- 
ogy, pedagogy,  art,  nature  study  and  other  subjects  recom- 
mended by  the  school  board,  and  frequently  with  most  ex- 
acting demands  in  her  home  life,  the  public  school  teacher 
of  the  conscientious  type  feels  herself  too  heavily  burdened 
to  undertake  what  is  bound  to  seem  like  another  task  if  pre- 
sented from  the  outside,  even  when  presented  in  the  light 
of  a  help.  She  must  feci  that  it  will  help  before  she  can  com- 
mit herself  to  it. 

From  this  introductory  round  of  visits  we  gathered  a 
good  deal  of  practical  information  concerning  the  conditions 
under  which  public  school  work  is  done,  and  the  various 
ways  of  doing  it.  as  expressed  by  the  personalities  of  the 
teachers  as  well  as  by  the  attitude  of  the  children.  We 
enlarged  our  circle  of  acquaintance  very  appreciably  and 
found  here  and  there  a  teacher  with  the  book  sense  and  the 
child  sense  so  united  that  her  work  was  an  inspiration.  We 
noted  a  decided  gain  in  the  readiness  with  which  we  were 
able  to  recommend  books  to  the  children  of  the  grades  vis- 
ited. The  reading  ability  of  individual  children  in  a 
grade  varies  greatly  of  course.  I  have  frequently  noted  that 
a  child  will  read  and  enjoy  a  book  from  the  library  which 
would  be  considered  out  of  the  range  of  his  comprehension 
by  his  teacher.  On  the  other  hand,  the  library  assistants 
may  be  so  eager  to  swell  the  circulation  of  non-fiction  that 
the  children  may  be  encouraged  to  take  books  from  which 
they  would  get  no  enjoyment  whatever. 

A  year  later  we  used  the  various  picture  exhibitions — the 
animal  exhibition,  the  hero  exhibition,  the  spring  exhibition, 
as  occasions  for  school  visits.  Supplied  outwardly  with  li.sts. 
pictures,  and  two  or  three  books,  and  inwardly  with  a  neat  lit- 
tle speech  about  the  animal  pictures  the  visitor  presented  her- 
self at  one  of  these  same  schools,  feeling  sure  that  this  time 
she  would  be   asked  to   say  something  to  the   children. 

\'ain  hope.  The  principal  received  her  with  the  most 
polite  expressions  of  interest,  and  said  he  himself  would  take 
great  pleasure  in   speaking  of  the  exhibition  at  the  opening 


200  -        ANNIE  CARROLL  MOORE 

exercises  of  the  school,  to  which  no  invitation  was  extended. 
On  her  way  down  stairs  the  visitor,  feeling  very  dubious 
about  ever  making  what  she  considered  successful  school 
visits,  was  attracted  by  the  strains  of  a  violin.  Looking 
through  the  stairway  window  she  saw  an  old  man,  with  the 
sunniest  smile,  standing  in  the  midst  of  a  room  full  of  happy- 
faced  children  and  drawing  his  bow  across  his  fiddle  as  if 
he  loved  it  and  could  not  help  it.  Presently  they  all  began 
to  sing,  quite  naturally  and  spontaneously.  One  felt  at  once, 
even  through  dingy  glass,  that  the  relations  were  absolutely 
harmonious  between  the  children,  the  teacher,  and  the  old 
violin    player. 

A  teacher  who  passed  on  the  stairs  nas  asked  if  the  old 
man  came  often  to  the  school. 

"Oh,  yes,"  she  said,  "he  teaches  the  children  music,  and 
they  look  forward  to  his  coming  with  the  greatest  delight." 
The  incident,  trivial  though  it  may  seem,  was  full  of  sug- 
gestion for  the  matter  in  hand.  It  was  quite  evident,  if  he 
had  any  other  business,  the  old  violin  player  had  left  it  all 
behind  when  he  came  into  the  school  room.  He  came  to 
make  music,  and  he  played  till  the  children  wanted  to  sing. 
While  we  cannot  hope  to  strike  the  same  chord  with  library 
books  and  library  privileges  that  is  reached  by  a  violin  note, 
for  the  charm  of  music  is  more  subtle  than  the  charm  of 
books,  may  we  not  hope  to  so  master  the  technique  of  our 
subject  as  to  be  able  to  present  its  essence  as  the  violin 
player  presents  his  melody,  rather  than  the  exercises  which 
have  made  more  perfect  melody  possible?  Books  must  seem 
to  us  like  real  life,  and  human  experiences  must  seem  like 
chapters  from  unwritten  books. 

There  is  a  certain  technique  of  library  visits  to  schools 
which  seems  to  me  to  consist  in  taking  things  exactly  as 
one  finds  them,  and  adapting  one's  self  so  completely  and 
cheerfully  to  the  situation,  whether  it  means  sitting  in  an 
office,  standing  in  a  passage  way,  rushing  through  class 
rooms,  receiving  polite  but  immediate  dismissal,  or  having 
pleasant  talks  with  children  and  teachers,  as  to  make  it  seem 
the  most  natural  experience  in  the  world  while  it  lasts,  and 
to  make  it  the  basis  for  future  experiences.  Theories,  meth- 
ods, the  habit  of  looking  too  early  for  results,  and,  above 


LIBRARY  \'ISITS  TC)  SCHOOLS  207 

all.  an  aggressive  or  a  too  retiring  personality,  must  be  got 
rid  of  at  any  cost  if  we  are  to  heget  a  love  for  hooks  and 
win  confidence  and  respect  for  our  ways  of  giving  them  into 
the  hands  of  those  who  want  them,  or  who  may  he  induced 
to  want  them.  After  having  made  a  great  many  experimental 
visits  and  having  at  last  received  several  invitations  to  speak 
to  the  children,  a  more  definite  plan  of  action  for  the  school 
3-ear  1900-1901  was  carried  out  in  two  of  the  public  schools 
in   our  neighborhood. 

In  accordance  with  this  plan  short  lists  of  books,  twelve 
in  number,  were  prepared  for  eight  different  school  grades, 
beginning  with  the  third  year  in  school  and  extending 
through  the  sixth  school  year. 

These  lists  were  presented  in  two  forms,  on  catalog  cards 
(i  size)  with  the  subject  headings  in  red  ink,  and  on  a  type- 
written sheet  divided  by  subject  headings  corresponding  to 
those  upon  the  cards,  the  two  forms  illustrating  the  card 
catalog  and   the  printed   finding-list. 

The    typewritten    sheet    was    headed    "Good    Books    for 

Boys  and   Girls  in  Primary  Grade,"  and  was  pasted  in 

the  center  of  a  bulletin  sheet  22>^  x  28  in.  of  dark  green  paper, 
with  one  picture  of  the  children's  room  above  and  another 
below  the  typewritten  sheet.  The  list  upon  cards  was  ar- 
ranged at  the  sides  of  the  central  sheet  with  a  small  picture 
of  the  children's  room  below  each  row  of  cards.  The  heading 
"Pratt  Institute  Children's  Library."  with  red  initial  letters, 
was  placed  at  the  top  of  the  bulletin. 

The  bulletins  were  designed  to  illustrate  talks  to  the 
children  on  the  use  of  the  library,  not  as  model  reading  lists 
for  the   different  grades. 

It  was  suggested  by  the  head  of  a  department  that  it 
might  facilitate  matters  to  speak  to  four  classes  at  once, 
about  200  children.  She  was  quite  willing,  however,  to  yield 
to  ni}'  preference  to  visit  each  class  in  its  own  class  room,  a 
plan  which  has  very  decided  advantages  over  that  of  ad- 
dressing children  01  )uasse  at  morning  exercises,  aflFording 
as  it  does  the  opportunity  to  become  a  little  acquainted  with 
the  class  teacher,  to  observe  in  some  measure  the  effect  of 
her  personality  on  her  class,  and,  above  all,  that  of  meeting 
the  children  on  their  own  ground,  in  a  room  they  are  used  to. 


14 


2o8  -         ANNIE   CARROLL  MOORE 

How  important  a  part  atmospheric  effort  plays  in  the 
process  of  "getting  at"  children,  it  needs  only  a  few  visits 
to  different  school  class  rooms  even  under  the  same  roof 
to  determine. 

The  general  outline  for  the  talk,  which  was  always  in- 
formal, in  the  form  of  question  and  answer,  and  adapted  to 
the  ages  or  understanding  of  the  children  and  the  condition 
under  which  it  was  given,  was  as  follows: 

How  many  boys  or  girls  have  ever  taken  books  from 
Pratt  Institute  Free  Library?  How  many  are  now  taking  out 
books?  Why  did  those  of  you  who  are  not  taking  out  books 
stop?  After  a  show  of  hands,  they  were  called  upon  one  by 
one  to  state  reasons.  Some  of  the  reasons  called  for  ex- 
planation on  the  part  of  the  visitor.  Many  children  had  lost 
their  cards  and  did  not  know  how  to  get  new  ones,  others 
had  moved-  away  for  a  time  and  had  come  back  into  the 
neighborhood  again,  but  supposed  their  library  connection 
was  severed  forever.  Several  children  had  given  up  taking 
out  books  because  they  said  they  had  to  study,  and  to  these 
we  must  explain  how  the  library  may  be  made  a  means  of 
help  in  school  work.  *'Got  tired  of  reading,"  "No  time  for 
reading,"  were  very  common  reasons;  "Owe  fines,"  less  often 
stated,  but  very  often  the  real  reason.  "Too  cold"  or  "too 
warm,"  "moved  too  far,"  "eyes  hurt,"  "German  schoo'," 
"music  lessons,"  and  many  children  who  had  forgotten  all 
about  taking  books.  The  latter  swarmed  back  to  the  library 
to  take  up  their  cards  again. 

In  presenting  the  bulletin  to  the  children  they  were  told 
that  the  pictures  represented  different  parts  of  the  children's 
library.  Very  often  a  child  who  was  familiar  with  the  li- 
brary enjoyed  telling  about  it.  The  cards  for  the  reading 
list  were  explained  part  by  part,  l)eginning  with  the  subject 
heading  as  indicating  the  kind  of  book;  the  author's  name 
as  telling  who  wrote  the  book;  the  title  as  giving  the  name 
of  the  book  itself,  and  the  class  and  book  number  as  show- 
ing the  arrangement  of  the  books  on  the  shelves.  An  il- 
lustration which  seemed  to  make  quite  clear  the  distinction 
between  subject  and  title  was  afforded  by  the  particular 
school  grade  and  an  individual  boy  or  girl  usually  known  to 
me  by  name.     Every  book  has  a  name  just  as  every  boy  has 


Mr.KARV  \'ISTTS  TO  SCHOOLS  209 

a  name,  and  if  a  lioy  wanted  to  pet  "Red  mustang"  at  the 
library  he  would  not  he  likely  to  get  it  if  he  simply  asked 
for  a  book  about  Indians — he  might  be  given  the  "lliauatha 
primer."  This  proved  an  interesting  point  in  several  classes, 
and  there  have  been  many  evidences  of  greater  familiarity 
with  l)Ook  titles  on  the  part  of  the  children  of  those  classes. 

Another  question  which  was  productive  of  interesting 
replies  when  asked  at  the  proper  psychological  moment  was, 
How  do  you  know  what  book  to  take  home  with  you  from 
the  library?  "Look  at  the  pictures,"  "Read  the  headings  of 
chapters,"  "Ask  the  lady  at  the  desk,"  "Look  at  the  tins" 
(shelf  labels),  "Know  what  kind  of  a  book  I  want  and  ask 
the  lady  who  knows  all  the  books  for  that  kind,"  "Somebody 
says  it's  nice"  (very  common  experience  with  girls),  "Read 
in  the  beginning,  middle  and  end." 

How  many  of  you  have  ever  taken  books  to  help  you 
in  writing  compositions  or  in  history  or  nature  study  les- 
sons? In  every  class  in  the  grammar  grades  a  fair  number 
had  taken  books  with  this  object  in  mind,  sometimes  finding 
help,  very  often  failing  to  find  it.  A  small  tray  of  cards  taken 
from  the  subject  catalog  was  used  to  illustrate  the  variety 
of  subjects  to  be  found  in  books.  The  boys  were  immensely 
interested  in  a  discussion  of  subjects,  and  many  of  them  gave 
up  their  recess  time  to  ask  questions.  It  was  much  more 
difficult  to  get  response  from  the  girls,  especially  in  the 
higher  grades,  the  range  of  subjects  with  which  they  seem 
to  be  familiar  is  so  very  limited.  In  the  primary  grades  the 
girls  were  decidedly  freer  and  more  spontaneous,  and  when 
called  upon  to  describe  the  children's  room  showed  excel- 
lent powers  of  observation.  The  attention  of  the  younger 
children  was  especially  called  to  the  careful  handling  of  books 
at  the  library,  putting  them  back  in  the  right  places  on  the 
shelves  with  the  backs  out. 

Five  or  six  books  were  usually  taken  along  to  show  the 
arrangement  on  the  shelves,  the  position  of  the  number  on 
the  back,  where  to  look  for  the  author's  name,  the  title  and 
the  index  if  there  was  one.  These  books  were  usualh'  select- 
ed with  an  eye  to  the  teacher's  interest,  as  being  particularly 
suitable  for  reading  aloud  or  for  use  in  connection  with 
special   work  for   the   grade. 


210  ^         ANNIE  CARROLL  MOORE 

At    the    conclusion    of    the    talk,    which    was    very    much 
modified    for    each    class,    occupying   in    time    from    lo    to    20 
minutes,  opportunity  was  given  to  all  children  who  had  never 
taken   books    to   sign    applications   then   and    there.      The   ap-' 
plication  form  was  read  and  explained  by  the  visitor. 

The  bulletin  was  left  in  the  class  room  for  which  it 
was  intended,  and  was  allowed  to  remain  for  one  month. 
At  the  end  of  a  month  a  second  visit  was  paid  in  order  to 
find  out  whether  the  bulletin  had  been  of  practical  use.  The 
twelve  book  titles  were  read  ofif  one  by  one,  and  the  children 
were  asked  how  many  had  read  each  one  or  had  tried  to 
get  the  book  at  the  library.  The  results  do  not  go  to  show 
that  as  reading  lists  the  bulletins  were  successful.  They 
were  more  so  in  the  case  of  the  boys  than  in  the  case  of  the 
girls,  but  in  order  to  test  them  as  reading  lists  it  would  be 
necessary  to  send  the  books  with  the  bulletins  to  the  schools. 

Many  of  the  teachers  delivered  up  the  bulletins  with  real 
regret,  "because  they  looked  so  ornamental"  rather  than 
because   they  had  found   them   distinctly   useful  and   helpful. 

During  the  second  visit  the  children  in  each  class  were 
given  an  opportunity  to  mention  a  favorite  book.  All  who 
wished  to  do  this,  and  in  all  classes,  except  the  higher  classes 
of  girls,  both  boys  and  girls  were  eager  to  mention  books, 
raised  their  hands  and  were  called  upon  in  turn.  The  re- 
sults, to  such  an  extent  as  seemed  practicable,  were  noted 
for  future  reference,  and  some  very  unique  graded  lists  might 
be  made  from  them,  preferences  for  "Ben  Hur,"  "Fighting 
dogs,"  "Tale  of  two  cities,"  "Little  lame  prince,"  and  "Bessie 
on  her  travels,"  all  existing  in  one  class  of  girls.  It  is,  of 
course,  quite  often  the  case  that  a  child  mentions  a  book  he 
has  just  read,  or  a  book  mentioned  by  a  friend  whose  opinion 
is  well  regarded  rather  than  the  book  he  actually  prefers,  or 
he  may  have  no  decided  preference.  In  order  to  get  at  de- 
cided preferences  or  to  lead  children  to  form  preferences, 
it  is  quite  necessary  to  talk  with  them  familiarly  about  the 
books.  They  were  frec|uently  asked  who  wrote  the  l)Ooks 
they  mentioned  and  to  tell  a  little  of  the  story.  I  also  asked 
them  about  different  characters  in  the  books.  Who  was 
Robin  Hood?  One  boy  confused  his  identity  with  that  of 
Robinson    Crusoe,    another    promptly    responded,    "He    was 


LIBRARY  VISITS  TO  SCHOOLS  211 

a  first-class  bow  and  arrow  shot."  I  sometimes  read  aloud 
from  one  of  the  books  I  had  brought,  and  at  others  toUl 
anecdotes    of   authors. 

In  the  first  school  visited,  many  of  the  children  came 
from  homes  where  books  were  talked  about,  and  seemed  in 
consequence  much  less  dominated  by  the  teacher's  attitude 
toward   books  and  reading. 

In  the  second  school  very  few  of  the  children  had  books 
at  home,  and  the  personal  influence  and  interest  of  the  teach- 
er was  very  marked.  One  of  the  teachers  who  conducts  a 
class  in  connection  with  the  New  York  City  History  Club, 
iiad  a  travelling  library  of  100  volumes  in  her  class  room. 
This  teacher  told  me  she  never  recommended  a  book  to  a 
boy  which  she  had  not  first  read  herself.  She  reads  aloud 
five  or  ten  minutes  at  every  session,  and  has  read  several  of 
Henty's  books,  skipping  the  parts  the  boys  usually  read  and 
reading  the  parts  they  are  in  the  habit  of  skipping. 

The  results  of  these  school  visits  have  been  manifest 
in  an  increase  in  the  circulation  of  books  and  in  membership, 
in  the  return  of  large  numbers  of  former  users  of  the  library, 
and  notably  in  a  very  much  more  intelligent  use  of  the 
children's  library  on  the  part  of  children  and  of  teachers. 
Interest  in  the  room  itself,  in  the  pictures  and  bulletins,  the 
catalogs  and  lists,  the  care  of  the  books,  etc.,  has  been 
great'y   stimulated   and   in   some   cases   has   been   created. 

Social  relations  have  been  vitalized,  the  desirability  of 
self-expression  along  new  lines,  as  exemplified  in  talking 
about  the  books  one  likes  with  somebody  else  who  likes  them, 
has  been  suggested  to  many  children  and  to  some  teachers. 
Teachers  who  would  never  have  visited  the  library  except 
by  personal  invitation  have  come  and  have  brought  friends 
from  time  to  time,  and  teachers  who  had  never  thought  of 
studying  in  the  library  itself  have  become  devoted  patrons 
of  the  reference  department.  Best  of  all,  the  strange  and 
rather  strained  feeling  of  establishing  a  relationship  has  quite 
worn  itself  away,  and  we  are  conscious  of  a  warm  welcome 
whenever  it  is  possible  to  claim  it  from  the  schools  already 
visited,  and  from  other  schools  whose  principals  or  teachers 
have  expressed  a  desire  to  receive  visits. 


212  ANNIE  CARROLL  MOORE 

Though  full  of  interest  and  not  altogether  lacking  in  a 
certain  spice  of  adventure,  no  kind  of  library  work  I  have 
yet  undertaken  has  proved  so  exhausting  mentally  and 
physically  as  public  school  visiting.  If  half  a  day  is  given 
to  this  w^ork  the  remaining  half  should  be  spent  in  doing 
the  easiest  kind   of  work  possible. 

One  should  never  start  out  on  a  round  of  visits  unless 
she  is  able  to  command  any  situation  which  may  be  pre- 
sented. 

It  is  far  better  to  break  a  statistical  record  of  visits  paid 
than  to  be  conscious  of  a  moral  record  of  visits  which  never 
should  have  been  paid.  It  is  true  that  teachers  often  have 
to  teach  when  they  are  manifestly  unequal  physically  or 
mentally  to  the  task;  but  that  is  all  the  stronger  reason  why 
the  occasional  visitor  should  never  bring  less  than  a  healthy 
effect  to  the  school  room. 

She  mus't  be  able  to  command  her  resources;  therefore, 
she  needs  time  to  read  the  books  the  children  are  reading, 
and  those  they  ought  to  read;  she  needs  time  to  study  the 
curriculum  which  the  teacher  must  follow  out;  and  she  needs 
time  to  enable  her  to  give  such  expression  to  her  interpreta- 
tion of  the  place  of  the  children's  library  and  its  librarian 
in  the  larger  educational  scheme  as  shall  make  her  work 
practical,   vital  and   inspiring. 


\\  EXPERTMKXT  IX  SCHOOL  Lir.RARV  WORK 

Co-operation  Ijctwecn  lil)rary  and  school  was  success- 
fnlly  nndertaken  locally  in  many  instances  before  it  was 
carried  ont  on  the  larger  scale.  In  one  case  at  least,  de- 
scrilied  in  the  following  article,  it  was  brought  to  a  high 
degree  of  efficiency  in  a  limited  district  of  a  large  city, 
in  connection  with  a  settlement  library,  before  it  was  fully 
recognized  throughout  the  larger  region  covered  by  the 
whole  community.  The  librarian  who  initiated  this  suc- 
cessful experiment,  Edwin  White  Gaillard,  was  born  in 
Louisville,  Ky.,  in  1872.  After  an  academic  education, 
he  engaged  in  literary  and  scientific  pursuits,  travelled 
widely,  and  in  1897  became  librarian  of  the  Webster  Free 
Library  attached  to  the  East  Side  House  Settlement, 
Xew  York,  where  his  methods  of  co-operation  with 
schools  attracted  attention.  They  were  later  adopted  by 
the  X'ew  York  Public  Library,  with  w-hich  the  Webster 
Library  consolidated  in  1904  and  whose  department  of 
work  with  schools  Mr.  Gaillard  has  organized  and  super- 
vised. He  is  President  of  the  Library  Board  in  his  home 
town.  Port  \\^ashington,  L.  L,  and  was  for  many  years 
treasurer  of  the  X^ew  York  State  Library  Association 
and  chairman  of  the  X^ational  Education  Association's 
Library  Section. 

All  New  York  City  is  divided  into  five  parts.  The  New 
York  Public  Library  has  jurisdiction  in  three  parts,  or 
boroughs,  Manhattan,  Bronx  and  Richmond.  The  district 
which  the  library  embraces  is  about  a  mile  and  a  half  wide. 


214  EDWTN  W.  GATLLARD 

To  the  north  branch  from  the  one  of  the  south  end  the 
distance  as  a  crow  would  fly  is  just  thirty-eight  miles.  The 
influence  of  the  library,  however,  is  much  more  extended, 
as  many  borrowers  live  without  the  three  boroughs.  Charts 
show  a  territory  of  about  six  miles  wide  and  forty-five  miles 
long  wherein  live  persons  who  hold  and  use  regular  bor- 
rowers' cards.  In  this  territory  there  prevails  nearly  every 
phase  of  public  library  activity,  from  the  deposit  station  in 
quarry  and  lumber  camp,  in  penal  colonies  and  country 
schools  where  the  staff  consists  of  one  teacher  and  a  cleaner, 
to  the  great  central  library  now  in  course  of  construction. 

Confronted  with  such  diverse  and  varying  conditions  the 
youngest  of  the  great  libraries  of  the  country  has  not  yet 
devised  any  one  plan  to  ofifer  in  settlement  of  the  much  de- 
bated question  of  school  and  library  co-operation.  Each  of 
the  thirty-four  branch  libraries  has  to  face  a  somewhat  differ- 
ent situation  and  in  some  localities  circumstances  widely 
vary.  To  be  thorough  a  report  of  the  school  activities  of 
the  library  would  have  to  be  made  branch  by  branch.  It 
would  include  endeavors  of  the  usual  kinds,  deposit  stations; 
loans  other  than  books  (pictures  and  various  illustrative  ma- 
terial);  story  hours;  picture  bulletins  prepared  to  accord  with 
the  "Course  of  study"  for  different  grades  of  the  public 
schools;  instruction  to  classes  and  groups  of  pupils  in  the  use 
of  catalogs,  indexes,  etc.;  talks  to  teachers  at  their  meetings; 
regular  monthly  visits  to  schools;  distribution  monthly  of 
the  "List  of  Additions;"  preparation  of  reading  lists;  the  aid- 
ing of  individual  teachers  to  personal  advancement;  a  model 
school  library;  and  consideration  of  the  specal  problems  of 
the  high  and  evening  schools.  More  or  less  of  this  is  com- 
mon to  many  of  the  branches.  The  details  of  each  effort 
are  so  well  understood  in  the  modern  library  and  among 
modern  librarians  that  the  subject  may  be  dismissed  with  a 
word,  except  to  call  attention  to  one  or  two  conditions  which 
are   perhaps  exceptional. 

The  Board  of  Education  of  the  City  of  New  York  has 
established  an  excellent  department  of  school  libraries  which 
provides  books  both  for  circulation  and  reference  use.  That 
department  has  organized  in  the  three  boroughs  5836  class 
libraries  in  260  schools,  with  321,921   volumes.     The  records 


AN   EXPI':klMl-:\T  215 

show  a  home  circulation  in  these  boroughs  for  one-half  ot 
the  school  year  of  1,849,345  volumes,  and  a  reference  use  of 
107.457  volumes.  This  is  a  total  annual  use  of  about  four 
million  volumes.  The  graded,  annotated  catalog  of  class 
room  libraries,  which  has  been  issued  by  the  Board  of  Edu- 
cation, is  said  to  have  had  a  marked  efifect  in  improving  the 
character  and  number  of  books  used  in  this  way. 

In  addition  to  the  class  room  libraries  which  are  sup- 
plied by  the  school  authorities  the  Travelling  Library  office 
of  the  Public  Lil)rary  maintains  in  the  day  schools  fifty-five 
deposit  stations,  with  4069  volumes,  the  annual  home  circu- 
lation of  which  is  about  44,000  volumes.  This  department 
has.  in  the  three  boroughs,  an  additional  recorded  annual 
circulation  through  the  evening  schools,  recreation  centers 
and  playgrounds  of  about  155,000  volumes.  These  figures 
do  not  include  many  stations  in  no  way  connected  with  the 
schools,  the  total  annual  circulation  of  which  was  last  year 
450,000  volumes. 

It  has  been  necessary  to  explain  local  affairs  at  length 
to  show  that  the  experiment  which  is  now  being  tested  is 
in  addition  to  a  not  inconsiderable  united  effort  to  bring  the 
right  books  into  the  hands  of  school  pupils,  teachers  and 
principals. 

Last  year,  through  the  courtesy  of  the  Board  of  Edu- 
cation, in  fifty  of  the  public  schools  regular  bulletin  boards 
for  the  exclusive  use  of  the  Public  Library  were  erected. 
The  bulletins,  in  dimensions  about  2  ft.  6  in.  by  3  ft.  were 
placed  on  the  main  stairways.  On  the  bulletin  boards  arc 
affixed  announcements  of  whatever  matters  the  librarian  in 
charge  of  the  nearest  branch  may  consider  to  be  of  interest 
to   teachers  or  pupils.     The   first  announcement  is: 

"The  nearest  branch  of  the  Public  Library  is  located 
at  .  Teachers  in  this  school  will  find  it  to  their  ad- 
vantage to  secure  their  books  from  that  branch."  A  list  of 
all  the  branches  for  the  free  circulation  of  books  throughout 
the  three  boroughs,  with  the  hours  of  opening,  is  posted. 
On  every  bulletin  the  terms  under  which  teachers  and  pupils 
may  use  the  library  are   set  forth  in  the  following  words: 

"For  those  teachers  who  are  undertaking  special  studies, 
or  who  are  doing  other  definite  literary  work,  arrangements 


2i6  EDWIN  W.  GAILLARD 

ma}'  be  made  to  secure  books  necessary  for  such  study. 
These  special  books  must  be  renewed  monthly,  and  no  books 
may  be  retained  for  a  greater  period  than  six  months.  Books 
are  so  loaned  with  the  understanding  that  they  must  be  re- 
turned upon  special  request  after  two  weeks  from  the  date 
of  borrowing. 

"Popular  current  fiction  may  be  borrowed  in  the  usual 
manner. 

"Endorsements  are  not  required  for  meml)ership  cards 
of  teachers  in  the  public  elementary  and  high  schools,  day 
or  evening. 

"Books  for  immediate  and  temporary  use  in  class  rooms 
will  be  loaned  upon  receipt  of  request  signed  by  any  teacher 
who   has   registered   at  the    designated   branch. 

"Teachers  are  often  asked  to  endorse  their  pupils'  ap- 
plications for  the  privilege  of  using  the  library.  This  library 
regards  such  endorsements  from  teachers  in  the  day  schools 
merely  as  notes  of  introduction,  and  guarantors  are  not  held 
financially  responsible  for  losses  that  result  from  applications 
which  have  been   signed  for  their  pupils. 

"Teachers  who  take  an  interest  in  their  pupils'  reading- 
will  be  pleased  to  remember  that  this  library  is  always  glad 
to  send  application  blanks  to  them  for  distribution  in  the 
class  room.  In  every  way  within  its  power  this  library 
will  be  glad  to  further  practical  co-operation  between  the 
schools  and  its  branches  throughout  the  city." 

In  this  way  the  teachers  are  informed  of  the  location  of 
the  nearest  branch;  that  they  may  have  as  many  books  as 
they  desire  for  study  and  that  the  books  may  be  retained, 
if  necessary,  for  a  period  of  six  months.  They  are  also 
informed  that,  "In  other  branches  there  are  about  60,000 
books  (separate  titles)  not  contained  in  that  branch.  Any 
one  of  these  will  be  sent  for  when  desired,  subject  only  to 
the  demand  at  the  other  branch."  The  library  maintains  a 
daily  inter-branch  express  service.  If  desired  books  are  in 
a  branch  nearly  forty  miles  distant  they  may  be  ordered  by 
telephone  and   delivered  during  the   same   day. 

It  has  been  deemed  advisable,  for  obvious  reasons,  to 
give  all  work  with  teachers  to  one  assistant  in  each  branch. 
This  assistant  is  ranked  in  Class  C,  one  grade  below  First 
Assistant.  She  is  expected  to  familiarize  herself  with  the 
course  of  study,  to  keep  in  touch  with  the  public  schools 
and  to  know  personally  as  many  teachers  and  principals 
as   possible. 


AN  EXPEklMEXT  217 

The  result  of  the  experiment  of  last  year  with  tift^-  bul- 
letins has  warranted  doublinj^-  the  nuniher  of  schools  in  which 
is  done  work  of  this  character.  The  rules  with  regard  to 
loans  of  books  to  teachers  have  been  extended  to  all  branches 
of  the  New  York  Public  Library,  Circulation  Department. 
About  the  time  that  these  lines  are  to  be  published  there 
will  be  bulletin  boards  in  103  school  buildings.  Schools 
have  been  selected  which  are  so  located  that  fifteen  branch 
libraries  form  centers  from  which  operations  are  conducted. 
In  these  schools  there  are  189.018  pupils  and  nearly  5000 
teachers,  exclusive  of  the  elementary  and  high  evening 
schools,  wdiich  are  conducted   in  the   same  buildings. 

When  a  teacher  becomes  a  member  of  the  library  at  one 
of  the  branches  where  the  system  is  in  use,  record  is  made 
of  her  school  grade  or  department,  and  the  li^^t  of  books 
which  she  may  especially  desire  is  entered  on  a  card  index. 
The  cards  of  this  index  are  divided  by  the  usual  guides  so 
that  each  school  is  separately  represented.  On  the  cards 
are  entered  the  lists  of  books  desired,  the  dates  obtained  and 
delivered  to  the  teachers  and  the  dates  of  return.  It  is  the 
duty  of  the  assistant  in  charge  of  the  work  to  see  that  the 
l)0()ks,  if  in  any  l)ranch,  are  obtained,  or  if  not,  are  pur- 
chased, subject  to  usual  conditions  of  purchase.  When  new 
books  which  relate  to  grade  work  are  published  it  is  the 
duty  of  the  assistant  in  charge  to  post  such  information  on 
all  bulletins  in  schools  which  have  been  assigned  to  her 
branch. 

So  much  for  the  aim  of  the  library  wMth  regard  to  teach- 
ers and  of  the  methods  for  accomplishing  the  results  desired. 

Work  with  the  pupils  is  divided  into  two  kinds,  circu- 
lating and  reference.  Of  the  actual  circulation  of  books  to 
children  there  is  perhaps  little  to  relate  which  is  especially 
new.  Possibly  the  chief  point  is  the  official  announcement 
that  teachers  are  no  longer  "held  financially  responsible  for 
losses  which  result  from  applications  which  have  been  en- 
dorsed for  their  pupils." 

In  New  York  the  great  difficulty  with  reference  work 
in  the  children's  department  has  been  the  vast  number  of 
young  persons,  each  with  a  different  need,  who  sw^arm  into 
the    libraries    during    about    two    hours    each    day.      Within 


2i8  ,  EDWTN   W.  GATLLARD 

ten  minutes'  walk  of  one  brancli,  for  example,  there  are  2>?>^2>7^ 
registered  pupils  in  the  public,  in  addition  to  several  other 
large  schools.  In  that  district  there  are  three  branch  li- 
braries. They  are  liable  to  be  consulted  at  any  time  by  about 
16,000  pupils.  Information  on  any  subject  mentioned  in  the 
course  of  study  may  have  to  be  sought  for  impatient  chil- 
dren. Under  such  conditions  it  has  been  impossible  to  de- 
vote to  every  child  that  care  and  personal  interest  which  are 
so  important  in  dealing  with  such  demands. 

By  organized  co-operation  with  principals  and  with 
teachers  of  various  grades  the  probable  reference  work  has 
been  so  grouped  that  the  very  difficulty  of  great  numbers  has 
become  an  advantage.  The  anticipated  use  of  reference  ma- 
terial is  confined  to  the  pupils  of  the  fifth,  sixth,  seventh 
and  eighth  school  years.  The  studies  for  these  years  are 
so  arranged  that,  by  aid  of  teachers  it  has  been  possible  to 
prepare  term  plans  for  each  of  the  mentioned  grades.  These 
term  plans  were  prepared  by  one  of  the  editors  of  School 
Work,  and  were  based  upon  the  work  set  out  in  the  "Course 
of  study,"  and  divided  into  numbered  and  dated  weeks. 
That  is  to. say,  by  following  the  term  plans  any  teacher  can 
tell  at  a  glance  in  which  week  she  is  supposed  to  teach  a 
given  subject.  The  preparation  of  such  plans  involved  a 
great  deal  of  consultation  and  experience.  The  plans,  how- 
ever, can  hardly  be  ideal.  At  the  best  they  are  but  planned 
for  the  average  class.  The  work  has  been  ably  done  for  the 
school  year.  One  subject  has  been  selected  by  the  library 
from  the  term  plans  for  each  week  of  every  represented 
grade.  A  list  of  the  subjects  selected,  with  the  schedule  of 
dates,  has  been  printed  on  cards  for  each  grade,  together 
with  a  brief  explanation.  The  cards  are  in  size  6x12  in. 
One  for  each  grade  is  posted  on  the  bulletin  boards  in  the 
schools,  and  one  is  displayed  in  each  class  room  of  the  grade 
for  which  it  was  printed.  The  wording  of  the  brief  explana- 
tion is  as  follows: 

"Grade  5  B. 

"The   branch   of  the    New  York   Public   Library,   located 

at  — ■_ ,  will  be  prepared  to  give  special  attention  to  pupils 

in    this   grade   who   desire    to    consult   books    of   reference    in 
connection  with  their  scheduled  grade  work.     The  term  plans 


AN  EXPERIMENT  219 

in  History  as  published  in  the  October  and  January  issues  of 
School  Work  will  l)e  used  as  a  basis  for  the  preparation  of 
material,  which  will  be  set  aside  in  the  library  for  the  use 
of  pupils  between  the  dates  indicated  in  the  following 
schedule.  Pupils  of  this  grade  will  be  welcomed  at  the  li- 
brary, where  they  will  find  many  delightful  books.'' 

It  seems  to  be  an  advantage  to  know  in  advance  and  to 
some  extent  to  be  prepared  when  a  number  of  persons  desire 
to  consult  the  library  on  one  subject.  Time  can  be  saved 
and  the  individual  student  may  be  given  a  much  greater  share 
of  attention.  Instead  of  numerous  subjects  as  heretofore, 
the  pupil  is  now  apt  to  ask  for  only  one  of  eight,  for  which 
the  childrens'  reference  librarian  has  had  an  opportunity  to 
prepare  in  advance.  Pupils  in  this  way  are  taught  the  use 
of  indexes,  and  that  the  magazine  files  and  circulating  de- 
partment books  may  be  used  for  reference  purposes. 

The  danger  of  the  method  is  of  its  developing  a  ma- 
chine way  of  laying  out  the  work  and  of  neglecting  to  give 
to  it  the  right  care  and  thought.  This  danger  is,  however, 
common  to  all  other  parts  of  library  methods,  and  is  one 
which  some  such  system  will  aid  to  discover,  and  it  is  hoped, 
eliminate. 

The  cost  of  this  method  of  reaching  the  pupils  and  teach- 
ers has  been  very  little.  For  each  branch  library  a  card  index 
on  which  to  keep  records  of  books  needed  by  teachers  and 
a  few  minor  supplies  are  all  that  has  been  required.  One 
of  the  supplies  is  a  special  borrower's  card,  designed  to  meet 
the  demands  which  the  regulations  for  teachers  have  very 
naturally  developed.  These  cards  provide  spaces  in  which 
to  register  original  dates  of  loans,  dates  of  renewal  and  also 
a  space  in  which  is  recorded  the  call  numbers  of  each  volume. 
This  has  been  found  desirable,  for  when  several  volumes 
are  loaned  at  one  time,  and  returned  separately,  there  has 
not  been  in  case  of  loss  any  support  of  the  library's  conten- 
tion of  the  non-return  of  a  volume  in  dispute,  beyond  the 
bare  record  of  charging  on  the  book  card.  With  this  special 
card  there  should  be  no  reason  for  claims  of  borrowers  that 
books  have  been  returned.  Such  claims  were  quite  frequent, 
and  usually  proven  unfounded,  before  the  adoption  of  the 
special  card.  The  cost  in  the  schools  has  been  confined  to 
that    of    constructing   and    erecting   the    bulletin    boards    and 


220  ^  EDWIN  W.  GAILLARD 

the  printing  of  notices.  The  maintenance  in  the  schools 
averages  in  cost  just  two  cents  for  each  class  room  for  the 
term.  This  estimate  includes  printed  notices,  but  does  not 
include  typewritten  and  mimeograph  anouncements  which 
have  no  direct  bearing  on  the  schedule  for  the  grade.  The 
value  of  the  plan?       Who  can  sa}^? 

The  task  has  been  to  learn  the  needs  of  the  pupils  and 
teachers  and  to  so  order  the  work  and  to  plan  such  rules 
as  to  make  possible  and  encourage  the  real  use  of  the  li- 
brary; and  to  provide  means  whereby  both  teachers  and 
pupils  may  be  told,  retold  and  told  again  and  reminded  from 
time  to  time  of  the  library  and  of  its  ability  and  readiness 
to  respond  promptly  and  cordially  to  any  reasonable  de- 
mands. 

The  scheme  as  in  use  at  present  is  by  no  means  perfect, 
nor  yet  without  several  defects.  There  seems,  however,  to 
be  more  than  a  germ  of  value  in  the  plan  of  library  bulletin 
boards  in  schools.  The  idea  was  first  suggested  by  Dr. 
Canfield,  of  Columbia  University,  about  five  years  ago,  to 
whom  credit  is  due. 


WHAT  TIIR  SCHOOL  NEEDS  FROM  TTTE 
LIBRARY 

As  an  evidence  of  thorough  appreciation  by  a  teacher 
of  the  fact  that  the  public  libraries  have  something-  to 
offer  that  is  needed  by  the  schools,  the  following  article 
is  noteworthy.  The  writer  read  it  before  the  Pacific 
Northwest  Librarv  Conference  at  Seattle,  Wash.,  on  June 
9,  1909. 

Isabella  Austin  graduated  from  the  University  of 
Minnesota  in  1895  and  from  the  Normal  School  at  Wi- 
nona, Minn.,  in  1897.  After  teaching  in  that  state  for 
several  years,  she  served  as  critic  teacher  in  Teacher's 
College,  New  York  and  in  the  Michigan  State  Normal 
College  and  in  1908  was  chosen  supervisor  of  primary 
grades  in  the  public  school  system  of  Tacoma,  Wash. 
Since  1909  she  has  been  Dean  of  W^omen  in  the  L^niver- 
sity  of  Washington,  Seattle, 

A  shop  girl  was  eating  her  lunch  at  a  restaurant.  Said 
a  friend,  "Do  you  ever  carry  your  lunch?"  "No,"'  was  the 
reply.  "If  I  did  some  one  would  be  sure  to  take  me  for  one 
of  them  teachers!''  Someone  once  asked  an  old  lady  how 
many  children  she  had.  The  answer  was:  "Five;  two  living, 
two   dead   and    one   teaching   school." 

1  dare  not  address  you  as  "Fellow  teachers"  for  fear 
you  might  resent  it.  I  cannot  say  "Fellow  lihrarians."  as 
I  have  no  right  to  the  title.  I  am  forced  therefore  to  hegin 
with    the    time-honored    salutation    "Ladies    and    gentlemen." 

What  the  school  needs  from  the  library!  I.  Help  for 
the   teachers. 


222  ^  ISABELLA  AUSTIN 

I  gather  from  reading  library  journals  that  you  complain 
of  us  in   one  of  two  ways. 

{a)  Perhaps  you  feel  that  we  assume  as  teachers  that 
you  exist  to  do  our  bidding,  to  fly  at  our  beck  and  call.  I 
believe  this  grows  out  of  the  fact  that  we  do  not  understand 
our  mutual  needs  and  dependence.  It  will  be  less  a  com- 
plaint as  we  grow  to  know  each  other  better.  I  can  speak 
for  the  teaching  corps  of  Tacoma  and  assure  you  that  we 
arc  mindful  of  your  very  substantial  aid  to  us. 

{h')  On  the  other  hand,  we  hear  the  complaint  from  the 
library  that  the  teachers  do  not  use  the  library  enough. 
I  believe  I  can  see  a  reason  for  this,  too.  It  is  not  that  we 
feel  self-sufficient,  that  we  lack  interest  in  any  means  that 
will  aid  us  to  best  perform  our  duties.  It  is  because  you  are 
a  new  institution  and  that  zvc  are  passing  through  a  change 
in  our  idea  of  the  meaning  of  education. 

In  days  gone  by  we  carried  on  the  school  without  li- 
braries— we  could  do  this  as  well  as  not  because  education 
meant  learning  by  rote;  text  book  learning  alone. 

This  is,  to  my  mind,  the  most  important  thing  I  have 
to  say  to  you — we  do  not  yet  know  you  and  our  need  for  you. 

In  our  school  lives  as  children,  in  our  normal  training 
and  later  in  our  actual  teaching  we  have  not  had  you,  and 
we  do  not  yet  realize  your  resources.  To  get  this  matter 
before  you  definitely  pardon  my  using  my  own  case  as  il- 
lustration. 

From  beginning  to  end  of  my  common  school  education — 
from  first  grade  through  eighth,  I  never  saw  a  school  or  a 
public  library.  We  had  none,  though  I  lived  in  a  good- 
sized  city  in  the  Middle  West.  I  learned  what  the  text  book 
told  me;  no  supplementary  reading  (or  rarely),  no  pictures, 
no  objects.  My  training  in  reading  and  literature  consisted 
in  learning  to  keep  my  toes  on  a  crack  and  my  voice  from 
falling  on  a  question  mark! 

In  high  school  I  had  very  little  but  the  regular  text. 
Again  memory  work  was  the  test.  I  remember  well  a  boy 
who  was  my  ideal.  He  learned  his  geography  word  for 
word  and  so  recited  it.  If  he  sneezed  or  a  door  slammed  and 
his  flow  of  words  (I  use  words  advisedly)  was  interrupted  he 
had  to  begin  again.     He  was  the  show  pupil  in  our  class. 


WllAr    SCliUUL    NEEDS    EROM    LIDRAkV         22^ 

In  college  our  instructors  in  science  performed  all  the 
experiments  for  us  while  we  looked  on.  When  we  went  to 
the  library  we  spoke  to  the  librarian  through  a  wire  netting, 
and  in  our  company  manners  asked  for  a  book. 

In  the  normal  school  which  I  attended  there  was  a  so- 
called  children's  library,  but  the  books  were  all  text  books, 
and  we  were  not  taught  how  to  help  the  children  to  use  them. 
We  had  literature,  but  it  was  all  about  Hamlet's  being  or 
not  being  mad;  none  of  it  was  taught  in  a  way  to  make  it  a 
tool  for  the  elementary  teacher. 

After  all  this  I  began  teaching,  with  no  knowledge  of 
the  resources  of  a  library  as  an  aid  to  either  teacher  or  child, 
and  I  felt  no  need  for  such  aid.  What  is  true  of  me  is  true 
of  thousands  of  other  teachers. 

You  must  make  us  feel  our  need  for  you.  You  must, 
if  you  please,  intrude  yourselves  upon  our  notice.  Genera- 
tions of  teachers  who  have  worshipped  at  the  shrine  of  the 
text  book  can  in  no  other  way  be  reached. 

The  ideals  of  education  to-day  are  broader,  our  needs  are 
greater,  and  you  have  the  material  to  help  us  realize  our 
needs. 

The  first  thing  to  do  is  to  go  to  the  rescue  of  the  normal 
schools.  This  subject  has  been  covered  in  another  paper, 
but   allow  me  to   suggest   one   thing. 

In  3'our  zeal  to  help  students  learn  how  to  use  books 
do  not  neglect  courses  in  children's  reading.  I  have  had 
many  normal  students  prepare  lists  for  me  showing  wdiat 
they  read,  as  children.  Such  lists  often  show  that  these  pros- 
pective teachers  did  not  have  access  to  the  books  which 
wc  wish  the  children  to  know.  They  did  not  know  the  dear 
old  things  which  were  on  the  honor  lists  before  we  talked 
of  children's  literature.  So  teach  literature,  not  children's 
literature,  but  literature  for  children.  Then  the  teacher  of 
the  future  will  be  partly  of  your  making. 

But  those  of  us  who  have  left  normal  school  and  are 
now  actively  engaged  in  teaching  need  you.  Not  all  of  the 
ideas  which  I  will  suggest  are  practical  for  any  one  library. 
Some  are  stolen  from  library  journals  and  some  are  the 
result  of  consultations  with  teachers  in  Tacoma.  Perhaps 
some  of  them  will  prove  suggestive  to  you: 


15 


224  ^  ISABELLA  AUSTIN 

1.  Bulletins.  (I  will  take  it  for  granted  that  the  school 
supplies  you  with  a  course  of  study  up  to  date,  and  with 
any  outlines  they  may  publish;  that  you  are  familiar  with 
these  and  with  the  practical  workings  of  the  school.  This 
latter  from  first-hand  observation!)  Ask  for  a  definite  place 
in  each  school  building  for  your  bulletin.  On  this  keep  a 
catalog  of  the  library,  up  to  date,  new  lists  as  they  appear; 
matters  of  interest  to  teachers  and  children.  (These  need 
not  be  printed,  they  may  be  mimeographed.)  In  Tacoma 
the  library  furnishes  us  with  lists  of  books  arranged  by  sub- 
jects and  grades.  Lists  of  articles  on  education,  especially 
those  not  in  educational  journals;  lists  of  books  on  special 
reserve;  lists  suitable  for  special  days.  This  last  item  is  of 
special  importance.  Due  to  tradition  and  the  influence  of 
cheap  educational  journals  we  use  much  inferior  material. 

Keep  the- bulletin  changing  and  alive! 

2.  At  the  library,  if  you  can,  have  a  special  corner  for 
the  teacher  and  her  reference  books  and  periodicals.  We 
ought  not  to  ask  for  the  reference  books  in  our  buildings. 
We  should  be  willing  to  go  to  the  library  to  read  them.  If 
you  do  allow  some  reference  books  to  go  out,  I  would  sug- 
gest that  one  complete  set  be  kept  always  at  the  library. 
Where  the  library  can  afford  it  a  case  of  sample  text  books 
is  a  great  help  to  teachers.  So  many  teachers  in  small 
places  are  entirely  dependent  on  catalogs  when  choosing 
new  books.  As  a  normal  teacher  I  was  asked  continually 
to   suggest  lists. 

3.  Teach  us  the  use  of  the  library  so  we  may  wait  upon 
ourselves.  In  small  places  this  can  be  done  informally; 
in  larger  places  in  some  stated  way.  Many  people  hate  to 
ask  for  books  that  they  would  be  willing  to  seek  for  them- 
selves. 

4.  Give  us  teacher's  cards  and  make  them  as  liberal  as 
possible.  We  arc  selfish,  however,  and  you  will  need  to 
look  out  for  us.  Perhaps  we  make  you  think  of  the  Dervish 
and  the  camel.  From  the  library  point  of  view  I  have 
learned  that  she  commits  the  cardinal  sin  who  takes  all  the 
references  on  a  given  subject  and  then  sends  a  class  to  the 
library  to  look  that  subject  up!     We  are  thoughtless,  I  know, 


WUA'l"    SCHOOL    NEEDS    FROM    lJi;RAkV         jjs 

but  we  never  see  children  in  smaller  groups  than   forty,  and 
such  a  situation  would  cause  us  not  a  qualm! 

5.  Guide  us  to  the  best  in  any  given  subject  or  line  of 
work.  If  it  is  History,  give  us  reliable  History.  Help  us 
to  I'liul  tile  best  in  nature  study,  and  to  find  the  literature 
which  is  akin  lo  those  other  subjects.  Give  us  the  best  in 
literature.  Teach  us  that  while  we  may  send  children  to 
brief  editions,  we  as  teachers,  must  get  our  material  from 
larger  editions,  first-hand  editions  where  possible.  Help  and 
encourage  us  to  adapt  stories  ourselves — to  be  dissatisfied 
with  a  fine  story  as  "written  down"  in  a  third  reader.  By 
getting  the  stories  this  way  we  lose  all  the  beauty  of  diction 
and  often   the  meaning  as  well. 

6.  Lend  us  pictures  where  you  can.  They  vitalize  the 
work  in  geography,  history,  etc.,  in  a  way  which  is  well 
worth  while.  We  do  not  ask  for  expensive  pictures  like  the 
Underwood — just  magazine  clippings  will  help.  Some  day  we 
shall  ask  for  lantern  slides  and  moving  pictures,  but  not  yet. 
All  these  requests  remind  me  of  the  sign  which  hung  in  the 
green  grocer's  window  in  my  youth.  "H  3'ou  don't  see  what 
you  want,  ask  for  it."  But  remember  we  do  not  ask  for  all 
these  goods  in  one  consignment  nor  from  any  one  library. 

To  return  to  the  literature  just  a  moment,  give  us  that 
which  wnll  feed  the  imagination,  a  generous  share  of  poetry. 
Do  not  "let  us  have"  just  the  historical,  geographical  and 
soberly  ethical.  In  this  material  age  lead  us  out  of  the 
baldly  practical  into  the  ideal. 

II.  Help  for  the  children  is  of  two  sorts.  Indirect, 
through  the  teacher  as  agent.  Direct,  as  you  meet  the  chil- 
dren in  the  library  building  itself.  A  teacher  to  do  her  work 
best  must  study  the  environment  in  which  her  children  live; 
must  know  their  group  peculiarities  and  their  individual 
needs.  I  believe  the  same  is  true  of  the  librarian.  If  you 
cannot  make  calls  have  mothers'  meetings.  Even  tea  I  think 
is  a  legitimate  part  of  library  equipment.  In  Tacoma  there 
is  a  certain  earnest  mother  who  had  little  chance  for  ed- 
ucation when  young.  She  has  read  her  children's  lessons 
with  them,  through  all  the  grades.  One  day  not  long  since 
a  book  agent  left  a  small  encyclopaedia  for  her  to  inspect. 
Next  day  she  met  "teacher"  and  said:  "You  know  I've  read 


226  .  ISABELLA  AUSTIN 

that  book  through  and  there  ain't  anything  in  it  not  in  the 
children's  books.  I  ain't  going  to  buy  it."  Teachers  and 
librarians,  too,  need  the   mother's   co-operation. 

1.  Class  room  libraries.  Lists  made  by  teacher  and  li- 
brarian. The  teacher  knows  the  needs,  the  librarian  knows 
how  to  supply  the  needs.  Have  these  class  libraries  from 
first  grade  up,  that  all  the  children  "may  be  exposed  to 
books,"  One  of  our  principals  who  has  watched  the  matter 
of  children's  reading  very  carefull}^  says  that  if  he  may  have 
all  the  reading  material  he  wishes  for  first,  second  and  third 
grades  the  reading  habit  will  ever  after  take  care  of  itself. 
A  caution  here,  be  sure  in  any  grade  that  the  books  are  easy 
enough.  We  err  in  asking  children,  at  times,  to  study  what 
they  cannot  grasp.  Don't  you  follow  our  custom.  Make 
the  books  progressive  from  grade  to  grade.  In  upper  grades, 
when  lists  are  put  into  the  children's  hands,  make  the  lists 
short,  very  good  and  annotate  them  (if  at  all)  from  the  child's 
point  of  view. 

2.  School  libraries  give  the  children  a  broader  outlook 
than  the  room  collection  alone.  Here  give  us  supplementary 
books  and  duplicate  collections  where  you  can.  Mimeo- 
graphed poems  and  other  material  are  helpful  if  you  have 
the  time  to  prepare  them. 

3.  Branch  libraries  near  schools.  In  large  places  there 
must  be  these.  Children  cannot  cover  distances  nor  pay 
car  fares.  Considering  the  teacher's  convenience  alone,  she 
would  prefer  the  school  to  the  outside  branch  library.  But 
from  the  point  of  view  of  the  child's  future,  his  life  after 
leaving  school,  the  branch  should  be  independent  of  the 
school.  Keep  the  branch  library  up  to  your  best  standard, 
because  your  suggestions  are  taken  without  question  by 
many  teachers  and  practically  all  parents. 

4.  Of  the  story  hour  in  school  conducted  by  the  librarian 
I  will  not  speak,  as  it  will  be  covered  elsewhere.  Only  let 
me  say  that  we  count  upon  it  very  materially  in  Tacoma. 

With  regard  to  the  child  in  the  library  you  have  a 
distinct  advantage  over  Us,  I  believe.  You  meet  the  child  as 
he  really  is,  though  you  may  sometimes  wish   you   did   not. 

It  is  years  of  tradition  and  artificial  usage  that  makes 
the  boy  on  hearing  the  school  bell  remove  his  cap,  smooth 


WHAT    SCHOOL    NEEDS    FROM    LIBRARY         227 

his  hair,  put  his  gum  in  the  corner  of  his  handkerchief,  turn 
his  toes  out,  heave  a  long  sigh,  and  with  drooping  eyes  and 
meek   expression   find   his  place   in   line. 

But  there  is  no  library  tradition;  it  is  yours  to  make. 
May  you  make  it  in  accord  with  the  child's  nature!  "The 
school  represents  the  compulsory  side  of  education,  the  li- 
brary should  represent  its  voluntary  and  attractive  side." 
You  meet  the  boy  off  duty  and  so  should  know  him,  as 
many  a  teacher  never  does.  Again,  the  average  life  of  the 
child  in  school  is  five  years.  Our  time  is  short.  Yours  is 
indefinite!  For  these  reasons  then  I  envy  you.  We  will 
during  that  five  years  make  frequent  occasions  to  send  him 
to  you.     You  hang  on  hard  after  you  get  him! 

5.  Exhibits.  Where  possible  invite  the  children  to  gen- 
eral and  special  exhibits.  They  need  not  be  elaborate  or 
extensive.  Children  often  get  more  from  seeing  a  few  things 
than  from  many.  From  these  exhibits  the  children  should 
be  led  to  further  study  of  the  same  subject  in  books ;  the 
exhibit  is  in  a  measure  a  bait. 

6.  Lectures  and  talks  on  school  subjects  with  lantern 
slides  or  other  pictures.  These  talks  to  be  given  by  some 
one  in  the  library  and  followed  by  visits  to  museum  and 
book  shelves.  Such  work  is  done  in  some  cities  on  school 
time,  the  teacher  accompanying  the  children.  It  means  a 
greater  zest  in  the  study  of  books;  "one  book"  study  makes 
us  narrow. 

y.  Story  hour  and  reading  circles.  This  is  too  well  known 
a  method  to  need  more  than  mention.  Ought  it  not  to  fol- 
low a  definite  scheme  according  to  the  needs  and  capacity 
of  the  given  group?  I  read  of  one  librarian  who  is  following 
local  history  with  a  group  of  boys.  Take  material  that  the 
school  hasn't  time  for  and  that  the  children  cannot  digest 
alone.  The  story  hours  that  so  many  of  you  give  mean  much 
to  us.  You  cannot  appreciate  its  results  unless  you  come 
and  see  the  children  in  school.  They  show  an  increased 
interest  in  their  work,  have  a  better  background,  better 
vocabularies  and  hence  another  means  of  self-expression. 
At  these  little  gatherings  take  special  pains  with  the  child 
who  never  sees  beyond  the  home  except  through  books.  A 
little  boy  at  the  Speyer  School,  New  York,  was  once  taken 


228  ^  ISABELLA  AUSTIN 

to  Bronx  Park  Zoo.  On  his  return  he  looked  at  a  picture 
of  a  tiger  hanging  on  the  school  room  wall  and  said  with 
great  interest  and  surprise,  "Why  it  can  walk!" 

8.  In  the  loan  department  control  the  reading  matter 
of  the  children  wisely.  Look  after  the  boy  who  reads  just 
one  kind  of  books;  the  boy  or  the  girl  who  reads  too  much. 
I  like  the  idea  of  getting  this  latter  class  interested  in  con- 
structive work.  Teach  such  children  to  use  books  as  a 
motive  for  something  active.  Let  them  see  that  their  books 
have  a  vital  relation  to  their  occupations,  such  as  gardening, 
building,   etc. 

Where  possible  issue  the  ivhole  story.  Let  the  child  do 
his  own  skimming.  Perhaps  this  doesn't  meet  your  approval, 
but  can't  you  remember  how  you  hated  the  story  which  be- 
gan nowhere  and  ended  the  same? 

And  jus.t  here  I  must  stop,  calling  attention  once  more 
to  our  attitude  towards  you.  I  quote  from  a  library  journal: 
"The  co-operation  so  much  talked  about  is  a  theory  on  the 
part  of  teachers."  I  stoutly  maintain  that  if  you  will  be 
patient  we  will  learn.  It  is  not  that  we  do  not  need  you;  it 
is  that  we  have  not  knozvn  you.  Give  us  just  a  little  time. 
i\Iay  I   illustrate? 

Two  little  boys  in  Tacoma  needed  operations  for  aden- 
oids. The  first  boy  returned  after  his  operation  and  the  sec- 
ond one  said.  "Well,  what  about  it?''  Indignantly  the  dis- 
appointed one  replied:  "Don't  you  try  it!  It's  nothing  but 
a  fake!     I'm  not  a  bit  smarter  to-day  than  I  was  yesterday!" 

Teach  the  children,  the  normal  student  and  the  teacher, 
and  in  time  all  will  be  well. 


PUBLIC  SCHOOLS  AND  PUBLIC  LIBRARIES 

It  is  not  often  that  we  are  enabled,  in  case  of  an  at- 
teni])t  at  co-operation,  to  study  reports  made  by  each  of 
tlie  ])arties  to  the  attempt.  This  is  the  case  in  Pomona, 
Cal.,  where  both  the  librarian  and  the  superintendent  of 
schools  have  contributed  to  their  professional  literature 
accounts  of  their  work,  in  library  and  school,  for  the 
furtherance  of  education.  The  report  of  the  superin- 
tendent, the  late  P.  W.  Kauflfman,  will  be  given  first. 
It  was  contributed  to  The  Educational  Revieiv,  and  ap- 
pears in  its  ''Discussion"  department  in  the  form  of 
several  letters,  including  a  brief  one  from  Aliss  ]\Iabel 
E.  Prentiss,  who  was  the  librarian  of  the  Pomona  Public 
Library  when  the  plan  of  co-operation  was  begun. 

Park  W.  Kauffman  was  born  at  Mt.  Pleasant,  Iowa. 
July  4,  1857.  He  received  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  and  in  Wesleyan  College  in  Massachusetts  where 
he  graduated  in  1880.  For  fifteen  years  he  was  Super- 
intendent of  Schools  in  Ventura  City,  California,  resign- 
ing there  to  accept  the  superintendency  of  the  Pomona 
City  Schools  in  1903,  which  position  he  held  until  the  time 
of  his  death,  June  13.  1910. 

The  feasibility  of  efficient  cooperation  between  the  pub- 
lic schools  and  the  public  libraries  has  not  been  as  readily 
accepted  as  the  desirability  of  such  interchange  of  service. 
But.  always  granting  to  the  schools  the  initiative  in  instruc- 
tion, the  place  and  value  of  the  library  as  an  integral  part  of 
the  system  of  public  and  free  education  is  now  very  generally 


230  ,         PARK  W.  KAUFFMAN 

recognized.  The  library  must  supplement  the  work  of  the 
school,  serving  the  adult  population  as  the  school  serves 
the  children — tho  its  necessary  methods  do  not  permit  such 
direct  authority  and  influence.  If  books  of  information  and 
books  of  power  are  to  be  of  value  in  the  life  of  the  com- 
munity, then  the  library  habit  must  be  formed;  and  this  can 
be  formed  more  easily  during  schooldays   than  later. 

The  following  correspondence  is  of  interest  as  showing 
wliat  has  been  accomplished  in  this  direction  in  the  schools 
of  Pomona,  California:  a  city  evidently  blessed  with  sensi- 
ble and  large-minded  people  in  charge  of  both  the  schools 
and   the  libraries. 

Office   of   the   Superintendent    City   Schools 

Pomona,  Cal.,  December  2,  1904 
Mrs.  Julia  S.  Harron 

Dear  Madam:  Your  letter  of  inquiry  about  our  method 
of  instruction  in  reading  is  at  hand.  I  will  take  your  ques- 
tions up  in  the  order  found  in  your  letter. 

1.  ''Is  each  child  allowed  to  select  his  own  reading  book, 
within  the  large  list  made  up  by  the  teacher?" 

Ans.  Yes.  And  he  is  allowed  to  experiment  until  he 
finds  a  book  that  will  strike  some  fire  from  the  flint  of  his 
own  intellect.  As  soon  as  he  finds  a  book  which  he  can 
read  with  interest  (it  must  first  be  approved  by  the  teacher) 
he  reads  it.  He  does  not  take  reading  as  a  medicine,  he 
takes  it  as  a  pleasure.  Of  course,  this  method  of  reading  is 
not  used  much  until  the  children  have  fairly  mastered  the 
formal  difficulties  of  reading.  It  is  used  a  small  part  of  the 
time  in  the  second  grade,  more  in  the  third,  still  more  in  the 
fourth,  and  altogether  in  the  fifth.  It  is  based  on  the  theory 
that  children  should  not  only  learn  to  read  while  in  school, 
but  that  they  should  actually  read  a  large  number  of  the  best 
works  of  literature. 

2.  "Do  children  have  duplicates,  or  does  each  child  have 
a  different  book  from  his  classmates?" 

Ans.  They  may  each  have  different  books.  Sometimes 
a  teacher  groups  a  few  children  together  for  special  drill  in 
reading,  and  gives  them  all  the  same  book.  While  this  small 
group  is  reciting,  the  remainder  of  the  class  are  reading  each 
his  own  book. 


SCHOOLS  AXD   LIliRARTI-S  231 

3.  "Is  this  the  re,e:iilar  rcarling  of  the  class,  or  is  it  sup- 
])lenientary  reading?" 

Ans.  This  is  the  regular  reading  of  the  class.  There 
is  no  more  reason  for  giving  "supplementary  reading,"  than 
there  is  for  giving  "supplementary,  morals."  The  school 
reading  is  continued  at  home,  and  the  home  reading  is  con- 
tinued at  school.  A  pupil  will  read  from  fifteen  to  twenty 
books  a  year  under  the  direct  supervision  of  the  teacher. 
He  consequently  becomes  more  intelligent,  and  he  becomes 
a  better  oral  reader  because  he  is  more  intelligent  and  be- 
cause he  becomes  more  familiar  with  words  on  account  of 
his   large   amount   of  reading. 

4.  "Does   the  plan   work   well   practically?" 

Ans.  I  have  worked  it  for  eight  years  and  have  never 
known  a  teacher  to  drop  the  plan  after  she  had  learned  to 
work   it    successfully. 

5.  "I  should  think  that  the  difficult}^  with  having  no  dupli- 
cate books  might  be  that  some  of  the  children  might  not  read 
well  enough  to  interest  the  rest  of  the  class  in  a  book  which 
they  had  not  seen." 

Ans.  Exactly.  Neither  can  they  read  well  enough  to  in- 
terest the  rest  of  the  class  in  a  book  which  the}'  hare  seen. 
What  is  more  senseless  than  for  nineteen  pupils  to  try  to  be 
interested  in  something  which  they  have  read  and  re-read, 
while  it  is  being  read  by  the  twentieth  pupil  in  a  more  or 
less  imperfect  way?  We  do  not  ask  the  pupils  to  listen  while 
one  is  reading.  The  nineteen  are  reading  each  his  own  book, 
while  the  teacher  is  trj'ing  to  help  the  twentieth  pupil  work 
out  his  salvation.  The  others  are  all  quietly  absorbed  in  their 
own  books,  unless  the  one  reading  or  relating  what  he  has 
read  makes  it  so  interesting  that  the  others  pay  attention  of 
their  own  accord.  The  others  are  permitted  to  listen  if  they 
choose  to  do  so.  Often  they  listen  with  great  interest  and 
make  up  their  minds  to  read  that  very  book.  So  that  a  book 
is  often  promised  four  or  five  pupils  "ahead."  There  is  very 
little  advantage  in  pupils'  listening  to  the  reading  of  other 
pupils  of  the  class,  so  far  as  its  assisting  them  in  the  ability 
to  read  is  concerned.  The  difficulties  of  reading  must  be 
mastered  by  each  pupil  for  himself.  They  will  be  mastered 
much  more  easily  if  the  pupils  are  reading  something  which 


232  ,  PARK  W.  KAUFFMAN 

interests  them  than  if  they  are  reading  that  which  is  simply 
a  dose  prescribed  by  the  teacher. 

6.  "The  child  who  becomes  interested  in  his  story  might 
destroy  the  connection  of  one  lesson  with  another,  so  far  as 
the  class  is  concerned,  by  going  on  with  the  stor}-  by  him- 
self." 

Ans.  That  is  just  what  we  want  him  to  do.  He  is  read- 
ing the  book  for  his  own  benefit,  and  the  Lord  pity  him  if  he 
does  not  get  interested  in  it  sufficiently  to  go  on  with  it  after 
the  lesson  is  over.  He  is  not  his  l)rother's  keeper  in  this 
matter.  He  is  not  reading  the  book  for  the  benefit  of  others, 
but  for  himself.  He  will  be  placed  on  the  "lock  step"  enough 
in  other  studies.  Why  not  let  him  "gang  his  ain  gait"  in  this 
one?  He  is  often  asked  by  the  teacher  to  give  the  connect- 
ing matter  between  the  two  lessons  as  a  reproduction  story. 
And  the  animation  and  interest  with  which  he  gives  it  is  evi- 
dence that  the  l)ook  has  gone  to  the  spot. 

7.  "Is  the  average  child's  command  of  language  suffi- 
ciently good  to  render  this  exercise  instructive  and  interesting 
or  even  tolerable  to  the  class?" 

Ans.  After  a  little  practice  a  pupil  will  talk  in  a  much 
more  interesting  manner  than  he  will  read.  Besides,  he  is 
not  obliged  to  make  it  interesting  to  the  others  of  the  class. 
They  are  interested  in  their  own  books  and  do  not  need  to 
try  to  be  interested  in  his  exercise.  The  exercise  is  for  his 
benefit  and  for  his  only.  The  others  will  have  their  day. 
This  "pot-shooting"  at  a  whole  class  is  neither  desirable  nor 
necessary.  So  far  as  his  vocabulary  is  concerned,  can  any 
better  way  be  devised  for  its  improvement  than  to  have  him 
reproduce  something  which  he  has  read  with  interest?  He 
naturally  uses  many  of  the  exact  words  of  the  author  in  his 
reproduction  and  thus  makes  these  words  a  part  of  his  own 
mental  furniture  much  better  than  if  he  had  surrounded  them 
with  a  definition.  For  both  oral  and  written  language,  this 
reproduction  work  is  invaluable.  But  if  you  had  prescribed 
a  dose  for  the  child  to  read,  his  reproduction  would  be  life- 
less and  void  of  interest  to  him  and  to  all  who  were  com- 
pelled to  listen  to  him.  Each  pupil  can  not  be  heard  every 
day.  But  when  he  is  heard,  more  time  is  taken  with  him. 
The  teacher  does  not  need  to  probe   him   on   everything  he 


SCHOOLS  AND  LIBKAklKS  233 

has  read  to  see  whether  he  undcrstanrls  it  or  not.  It  lie 
does  not  understand  a  book  he  will  not  read  it,  since  he  is 
not  compelled  to  read  any  certain  book  at  any  certain  time. 

As  far  as  their  general  reading  is  concerned,  the  influence 
on  the  children  of  Pomona  may  be  judged  from  the  fact  that 
a  little  over  a  year  ago  the  reading  of  the  children  supplied  by 
the  public  librarj^  was  71  per  cent,  fiction.  ( )ur  last  report 
showed  that  while  the  amount  of  reading  had  almost  doubled, 
the  per  cent,  of  fiction  had  decreased  to  39  per  cent. 

One  of  the  great  advantages  of  the  system  is  its  economy. 
The  money  which  is  used  to  buy  twenty  books  of  a  kind, 
enabling  each  pupil  to  read  one  book,  under  this  system  will 
buy  twenty  different  books,  for  the  same  pupils.  I  do  not 
take  much  stock  in  the  ordinary  school-reading-hash-book. 
Pupils  ought  to  read  something  of  some  literary  merit.  Under 
our  plan  they  will  do  this  to  an  extent  that  will  surprise  any 
one  who  has  not  tried  it. 

Very   truly, 

P.  W.  Kauflman. 

Superintendent 


HOW  THE  TEACHER  CAN  HELP  THE 
LIBRARIAN 

An  account  of  this  same  work  by  Miss  Alira  Jacobus, 
who  succeeded  a  little  later  to  the  librarianship  at 
Pomona,  was  read  by  her  before  the  Library  Section  of 
the  X.  E.  A.  at  its  meeting  in  Los  Angeles  in  1907. 

]\Iira  Jacobus  was  born  in  Junction  City,  Kan.  and 
after  graduation  from  Los  Angeles  High  School,  spent 
three  years  at  Wellesley  College.  She  took  the  training 
course  in  the  Los  Angeles  Public  Library,  and  after 
three  years  there  as  an  assistant  was  librarian  of  the 
Kamehameha  Manual  School,  Honolulu  until  1905,  since 
which  date  she  has  had  charge  of  the  public  librarv-  at 
Pomona,  Cal. 

There  is  much  that  might  be  said  about  the  theoretical 
relation  of  the  library  and  the  school.  But  as  to  this,  in 
the  words  Mr.  Hale  put  into  the  mouth  of  his  immortal 
double.  '"There  has  been  so  much  said,  and  on  the  whole 
so  well  said,  that  I  will  not  occupy  the  time."  So,  not  lay- 
ing again  the  foundation,  we  will  adopt  the  distinction  al- 
ready laid  down  by  others,  that  "the  library's  mission  is 
to  continue  the  work  of  the  schoolroom  along  new  lines," 
''that  the  school  should  furnish  an  impulse  to  individual 
tastes,  and  the  library  the  means  to  direct  that  impulse  into 
systematic   lines   of   reading." 

We  may  go  at  once  to  the  heart  of  the  matter:  how  best 
can  the   teacher   impart  this   impulse? 

First,  she  must  herself  read  books  and  love  them.  No- 
thing will  take  the  place  of  this  "invincible  love  of  reading." 


236  MIRA  JACOBUS 

The  reading  she  does  to  get  information  must  be  supple- 
mented by  that  she  does  because  she  would  starve  without. 
And  this  again  must  be  supplemented  by  what  acquaintance 
she  can  get  with   children's   books. 

So  much  for  the  preparation  of  the  heart.  What  is  she 
to  do  in  the  classroom?  She  may  first  systematically  train 
her  pupils  in  the  use  of  books  as  tools.  The  primary  requis- 
ite is  a  knowledge  of  the  alphabet.  This  is,  I  believe,  no 
longer  fashionable,  but  it  is  handy  to  have. 

The  boys  and  girls  should  be  taught  the  makeup  of  a 
book,  the  special  use  of  title-page,  contents,  and  index.  We 
find  many  a  person  who  does  not  know  these  things.  You 
will   help    them   greatly  if  you   do   no    more   than    this. 

When  they  have  learned  how  a  book  is  built,  tell  them 
that  as  books  have  indexes  so  have  libraries.  If  you  can, 
explain  the  use  of  the  main  bibliographic  aids,  the  shelf 
lists,  the  catalog,  the  periodical  indexes,  etc.  But  at  any 
rate,  let  them  know  that  a  library  is  not  a  trackless  wilder- 
ness. It  has  guideposts  and  guides,  in  the  persons  of  the 
attendants.     Encourage  them  to  learn  the  main  trails. 

Teach  them  the  proper  care  of  books,  and  respect  for 
library  property.  Handle  books  carefully,  and  insist  that 
students  do  the  same.  If  you  have  a  loan  collection  of 
library  books  in  the  schoolroom,  have  a  formal  record  of 
those  who  borrow  them.  If  the  class  is  free  to  pick  up  a 
book  and  carry  it  ofif,  as  some  advise,  the  books  will  indeed 
be  picked  up,  and  not  laid  down  again.  A  business-like 
record  will   save   the  trouble   of  replacement. 

So  much  for  the  use  and  care  of  books  as  tools.  They 
are  ihat,  but  to  you  and  me  they  are  more  than  that,  they 
are  friends.  Shall  we  not  introduce  them  to  the  children? 
The  schools  of  Elgin,  Illinois,  have  (or  had,  for  I  am  not 
sure  just  what  they  are  doing  now)  a  very  good  plan  for 
this.  Lists  of  books  are  copied  on  the  blackboard  of  each 
room.  The  children  are  urged  to  read  five,  and  are  en- 
couraged to  read  more  before  they  are  changed  at  the 
middle  of  the  year.  No  compulsion  is  used,  but  each  pupil 
is  credited  with  the  number  read.  The  books  are  freely  dis- 
cussed  after  reading. 


How  Till-:  TI-ACllLR  CAN    III'J.l'  2.^7 

III  Pomona  we  use  a  plan  which  we  think  excellent.  A 
list  of  recommended  books  is  made  out  for  each  grade  from 
the  third  to  the  eighth.  These  books  are  all  in  the  library. 
The  cliildren  become  members  of  the  library,  draw  their 
books  like  any  other  citizens,  and  use  them  in  the  reading 
classes.  Each  child  keeps  a  record  of  the  books  he  reads. 
He  may  read  as  many  or  as  few  as  he  chooses,  and  just 
what  he  chooses,  within  the  limits  of  the  carefully  selected 
list.  I  need  not  point  out  what  opportunities  such  a  plan 
gives  the  teacher  to  direct  and  inspire  the  child's  reading, 
to  teach  him  the  use  of  the  library,  to  make  him  a  lifelong 
friend    to   books. 

What  about  the  teacher  in  her  direct  relation  to  the 
library?     How  can  she  help   the  librarian   and  herself? 

First,  you  may  acquaint  3'ourself  with  the  local  library, 
its  rules  and  its  tools,  its  limitations  and  its  resources.  It 
will  not  take  you  very  long  to  get  an  idea  of  its  scope  in 
your  own  field.  Ask  to  see  the  shelf  lists  and  the  catalogs. 
Even  if  the  shelves  are  not  open  to  the  public,  you  can  prob- 
ably get  permission  to  examine  them.  Ask  the  librarian 
what  other  material  is  to  be  had  along  your  line  of  school- 
\vork.  If  the  library  issues  a  bulletin  of  new  books,  keep 
up  with  this.  Then  when  you  send  your  class  to  us,  you 
will  not  bewilder  them  and  drive  us  into  a  frenzy  by  bidding 
them  to  read  what  is  not  there  and  never  has  been. 

Learn  to  ask  for  the  specific  subject  you  have  in  mind. 
Let  your  culture  demonstrate  itself  in  your  clearly  defined 
requests.  A  man  once  came  to  me  and  asked  for  books 
about  fruits.  I  gave  him  some  general  works  of  reference, 
and  asked  what  fruit  he  was  especially  interested  in.  He 
replied,  "What  I  want  is  the  onion."  I  ran  down  the  odor- 
ous vegetable,  and  set  before  him  a  new  lot  of  books,  but 
after  examining  them  he  still  did  not  look  satisfied.  "You 
see."  he  finally  said,  "what  I  really  want  is  the  eflect  of 
the  onion  on  the  human  sj^stem."  This  is  about  the  way 
most  people  present  their  needs.  The  skilled  and  patient 
librarian  can  ascertain  your  real  object.  We  develop  an 
intuition  about  it.  But  it  takes  time,  and  not  always  do 
we  have  time,  and  not  all  of  us  are  patient,  I  am  sorry  to 
say. 


-38  MIRA  JACOBUS 

The  New  York  Public  Library  has  arranged  lists  of 
books  for  each  week,  to  correspond  with  the  schoolwork. 
The  books  are  set  aside  between  the  dates  given.  Other 
libraries  would  do  the  same  and  gladly  if  you  would  tell 
us  what  you  are  to  need.  So  if  your  plan  book  calls  for  the 
life  of  John  Adams  the  last  week  in  October,  why  not  notify 
the  library  and  ask  that  it  be  reserved,  or  purchased  if  not 
already  on  the  shelves.  This  will  be  a  help  in  several  ways. 
Library  funds  are  usually  limited,  and  we  buy  first  to 
meet  real  needs.  Second,  we  usually  have  some  necessary 
red  tape  which  prevents  book-purchase  at  very  short  no- 
tice. While  for  an  occasional  emergency  the  tape  may  be 
cut,  such  a  practice  is  unbusiness-like,  and,  if  a  little  fore- 
thought be  used,  not  often  necessary.  Third,  and  here  is 
where  your  bread  on  the  waters  returns  to  you,  you  will 
thus  be  reasonably  sure  of  having  the  book  when  you  wish 
it.  Knowing  it  is  needed  on  a  certain  date,  it  will  be  picked 
out  from  the  other  new  books  and  hurried  thru  or  it  will  be 
reserved  from  general  circulation.  Or,  if  old  and  disabled, 
it  will  not  be  sent  to  the  bindery  till  after  you  have  used  it. 

If  you  can  not  make  out  a  list  so  far  ahead,  you  can  at 
least  let  us  know  a  few  minutes  beforehand  if  a  class  is  to 
be  sent  in  for  study.  Send  a  boy  ahead,  or  telephone  in  the 
morning  that  they  will  be  in  for  material  on  the  tariff  or 
industrial  arbitration,  or  Arbor  Day.  It  takes  little  of  your 
time,  and  it  helps  us  wonderfully.  See  how  it  works.  At 
4:30,  when  everybody  is  asking  for  the  last  novel,  and  all 
the  club  women  are  getting  up  papers,  in  come  twenty-five 
youngsters,  each  with  a  hazy  but  urgent  demand  for  some- 
thing on  arbitration.  It  takes  some  time  to  translate  their 
request  into  its  original  form,  that  in  which  you  gave  out 
the  subject.  It  takes  a  while  longer  to  get  together  twenty- 
five  good  articles.  In  the  meantime,  the  children  are  wan- 
dering aimlessly  about.  Our  caustic  old  gentleman — every 
library  has  one,  and  he  is  a  fine  mirror  for  librarians — asks 
you  if  you  are  conducting  a  kindergarten,  and  why  these 
children  are  allowed  to  disturb  real  workers.  Or,  maybe 
the  class  does  not  all  come  at  once.  One  or  two  canny 
ones    do,    quietly    draw    out    the    best    material,    and    keep    it. 


HOW  THE  TKAcIIKk   f.W    HELP  2.^9 

Xo  one  el>c  has  an^-  sIkmv.  Now  look  at  this  pLin:  word 
comes  in  that  the  class  is  to  use  the  references  on  industrial 
arl)itration  between  the  dates  named.  May  tiie  hortks  l^e  held 
at  the  library?  The  books  are  collected,  marked  non-circu- 
lating, and  placed  on  a  special  table.  A  list  is  made.  The 
bo3's  and  girls  settle  down  at  once,  and  the  fiction-reader, 
the  club  woman,  the  caustic  old  gentleman,  and  the  timid 
stranger,   all    get    their   meed   of   attention. 

Apropos  of  reference  work,  please  look  upon  me  as  plead- 
ing with  you  in  the  name  of  all  the  librarians  of  the  coun- 
try, when  I  say  this.  Don't  draw  out  all  the  books  of  the 
library  on  a  subject,  and  then  send  your  class  to  the  li- 
brary to  look  up  that  same  subject  in  those  same  books. 
This  is  the  universal  crime.  When  the  class  comes  in  we 
may  explain  all  day  that  the  books  are  out.  The  answer 
is  ever  the  same,  "But  Miss  Smith  said  we  would  find  the 
books  in  the  library."  I  wish  this  was  an  unusual  thing. 
But  it  happens   daily.     Please,   please   don't. 

Familiarize  yourself  with  the  possibilities  of  books,  and 
do  not  send  children  for  information  which  cannot  possibly 
be  had.  An  infant  once  came  to  me  for  statistics  of  per- 
sons killed  by  fire  and  flood  since  the  beginning  of  the 
world.  Not  very  long  ago  a  youth  was  sent  in  for  a  state- 
ment of  the  private  capital  of  United  States  citizens  that  is 
invested  in  foreign  countries.  The  World's  Almanac  will 
do   wonders,   but  it   cannot  help   there. 

Remember  that  "sources"  are  not  always  to  be  used.  There 
is  a  curious  prejudice  among  some  people  against  the  ency- 
clopedia. I  do  not  know  why.  Most  questions  asked  by 
most  people  are  answered  to  their  best  satisfaction  by  either 
the  encyclopedia  or  the  dictionary.  But  many  a  pupil  who 
hardly  knows  the  order  of  the  alphabet  is  sent  in  with  in- 
structions not  to  use  the  encyclopedia.  You  will  say.  '"This 
research  work  is  to  teach  the  use  of  books."  True,  oh  king! 
So  is  a  college  exercise  in  the  method  of  least  squares  to 
teach  mathematics,  but  you  do  not  assign  it  to  3  sixth-grade 
bo3^ 

It  is  not  so  very  long  ago  that  a  little  girl  in  the  eighth 
grade   came   in   for   something   about   kitchen    middens.     The 


16 


240  _  MIRA  JACOBUS 

child  was  from  an  unlettered  family,  and  of  no  very  great 
intelligence.  Knowing  this,  1  gave  her  Champlin's  Young 
Folks  Cyclopedia  of  Common  Things.  It  contains  a  simple 
account  of  kitchen  middens,  all  that  could  possibly  be  re- 
quired in  gradework.  The  child  refused  to  use  it.  *'Teacher 
said  not  to  use  the  cyclopedia."  The  only  other  material  we 
had  was  in  archaeological  works  just  as  intelligible  to  her 
as  so  much  Greek.  In  the  name  of  common  sense,  what  was 
gained  here  by  using  "sources"?  It  would  have  helped  that 
child,  that  teacher,  and  myself,  if  I  had  been  allowed  to 
give   her  the   book   best   suited   to   her. 

Again,  please  remember  that  the  library  has  its  rules, 
and  the  library  board  has  scorned  delights  and  lived  labori- 
ous days  adjusting  them  to  bring  about  the  good  of  all. 
You  who  inculcate  obedience  should  not  reckon  our  laws  as 
naught.  If  we  do  not  renew  books  for  you,  it  is  because 
someone  else  needs  them.  We  try  to  look  all  around  the 
circle.  Will  you  not  look  with  us,  and  away  from  your  own 
tiny  arc? 

Remember,  too,  that  the  library  likes  order.  We  like  to 
preserve  the  atmosphere  of  quiet,  of  dignity,  that  befits  the 
place  and  its  purpose.  You  can  help  us  in  this  if  you  will  re- 
member not  to  break  our  rules  yourself  We  like  to  have 
teachers  work  with  their  students  in  the  library.  But  when  a 
teacher  treats  the  reference  room  as  if  it  were  her  own  school- 
room, and  disturbs  its  calm  by  long  and  loud  lectures,  that  is  a 
violation  of  our  rules  and  of  the  rights  of  others.  If  you 
wish  to  show  your  class  how  to  use  Larned's  History  for 
Ready  Reference,  or  to  discuss  a  passage  in  the  Lady  of  the 
Lake,  ask  if  there  is  not  a  room  you  may  use.  There  is 
usually  some  place  to  be  had,  and  many  libraries  have 
special  rooms  for  no  other  use.  How  can  we  silence  two 
young  people  who  are  noisily  whispering  if  at  the  same  time 
the  teacher  is  doing  the  same  thing?  Now  I  can  understand 
how  the  teacher  may  be  drawn  into  talking  about  her  work 
in  the  library  rooms;  but — horrcsco  rcfcrcns— what  shall  be 
said  of  the  teacher  who  chooses  the  library  to  discuss  chif- 
fons with  her  dear  friends?  Had  you  seen,  as  I  have,  angry 
looks  from  men  and  women,  and  surprised  looks  from  pupils, 


now  TiiR  ti<:ac-iiI':r  tax  iii-:li'  241 

you  would   never  permit  yourself  this  discourtesy.      You  can 
help  us    here   very   easily  and   very   materially. 

Hut  the  wise  ladies  answer  me,  yes,  I  return  answer  to 
myself,  "All  these  counsels  have  most  teachers  followed  from 
iheir  youth  up."  It  is  true.  Your  Inirdens  are  heavy,  but 
you  are  always  ready  to  help  us  with  ours.  1  take  pleasure 
m  acknowledging?  our  obligation,  and  in  renaming  this  talk, 
"How  the  teacher  helps  the  librarian." 


HOW  TO  MAKE  TTTE  LIBRARY  OF  GREATER 
SERMCE  TO  THE  STUDENT  OF  SCFTOOL 
AGE 

The  following  paper,  read  before  the  Library  Section 
of  the  Michigan  State  Teachers'  Association,  at  Saginaw, 
Mich.,  in  October,  1908,  emphasizes  some  of  the  points 
now  considered  by  most  persons  essential  in  co-operation 
between  library  and  school.  The  author,  Samuel  Haver- 
stick  Ranck,  librarian  of  the  Public  Library  in  Grand 
Rapids,  Mich.,  has  developed  his  library  to  an  unusual 
degree,  in  the  direction  of  practical  pubhc  utiHty.  He 
was  l>orn  near  Lancaster,  Pa.,  in  1866  and  graduated  at 
Franklin  and  Marshall  College  in  1892.  He  became  an 
assistant  in  the  Enoch  Pratt  Free  Library  of  Baltimore 
in  that  same  year,  its  Assistant  Librarian  in  1898  and  in 
1904  entered  upon  the  Grand  Rapids  Librarianship. 

The  problem  of  connecting  the  library  with  school  work 
and  with  the  students  in  school  is  one  that  has  been  receiving 
more  and  more  attention  during  the  past  tew  years,  both 
on  the  part  of  teachers  and  on  the  part  ol  librarians.  The 
importance  of  the  subject  is  worthy  of  all  the  thought  that 
is  given  to  it.  The  pubHc  school  deals  with  the  child  of  from 
five  to  twenty  years  of  age.  though  as  a  matter  of  fact  the 
large  majority  of  children  in  this  country  are  out  of  school 
at  the  age  of  13.  For  the  rest  of  their  lives  public  educational 
influence  comes  in  contact  with  these  people  largely  or  en- 
tirely through  the  public  library.  It  is  of  the  greatest  im- 
portance, therefore,  that  the  library  should  connect  with  the 
children  while  they  are  yet  in  school. 


244  SAMUEL,  H.  P  \NCK 

In  spite  of  all  the  things  that  have  been  added  to  our 
school  curriculums  in  the  past  generation,  and  the  varied 
emphasis  placed  on  these  different  subjects,  it  still  remains 
a  fact  that  reading  is  the  most  important  thing  the  school  can 
teach  the  child.  The  ability  to  gain  ideas  from  the  printed 
page,  to  translate  the  printed  characters  into  ideas,  thoughts, 
motives,  actions,  which  make  for  character  and  for  efficiency, 
is  the  greatest  thing  any  one  gets  from  school,  for  this  opens 
up  and  makes  possible  the  gaining  of  knowledge  on  any 
subject  which  one  may  desire  to  take  up  in  after  life  and 
enables  him  to  feel  through  books  the  influence  of  the  great- 
est personalities  in  the  world's  history.  If  the  school  and 
library  fail  in  giving  the  child  this  ability,  the  loss  to  the 
child  is  one  that  he  can  never  fully  overcome.  To  permit 
such  a  failure  is  nothing  less  than  to  commit  a  crime  against 
the   child. 

I  shall"  not  dwell  upon  this  subject  further,  but  shall 
take  it  for  granted  that  every  one  here  believes  that  reading 
and  the  use  of  books  and  the  library  is  an  important  part  of 
the  child's  education.  My  purpose  is  to  discuss  more  par- 
ticularly some  of  the  wa3's  and  means  for  bringing  about 
this  desired  result;  that  is  to  say,  the  closer  co-operation 
of  the  library  and  the  school  with  reference  to  the  pupils 
while  they  are  still  in  school. 

First  in  importance  in  this  whole  matter  is  the  work 
and  the  influence  of  the  teacher.  The  teacher  knows  the 
characteristics  of  the  child's  mind  in  a  way  that  the  librarian 
cannot,  and  is,  therefore,  in  a  position  to  influence  the  child's 
reading  in  the  best  possible  manner.  The  library  may  be 
the  means  for  supplying  much  of  the  reading  matter,  but 
in  many  instances  this  problem  is  solved  more  or  less  suc- 
cessfully without  the  aid  of  the  public  library.  However, 
where  the  library  and  the  school  are  working  together,  side 
by  side,  there  is  a  great  advantage  to  every  one  concerned. 

For  the  teacher's  influence  in  this  direction  to  count  with 
the  child,  the  first  requisite  is  a  knowledge  of  books  that 
appeal  to  children,  accompanied  as  it  must  be  with  sympathy 
for  the  child  and  child  nature.  Another  essential  is  that  the 
teacher  should  be  firmly  convinced  that  the  greatest  service 
the  school  can  do  for  the  child  is  to  send  it  out  into  the  world 


LTP.R\r<v  AND  STri)I-.XT  245 

with  both  the  ability  and  the  desire  to  get  ideas  from  the 
printed  page.  It  is  right  here  that  so  many  of  our  teachers 
and  schools  fail — l)ut  that  is  not  a  part  of  my  story.  Where 
there  is  a  librarian  in  the  school  building  part  of  this  work 
which  ordinarily  falls  to  the  teacher  can  be  taken  over  by 
the  librarian,  but  even  then  the  work  and  influence  of  the 
teacher  in  this  direction  ought  not  to  be  overlooked  or  neg- 
lected. It  is  much  easier  and  more  satisfactory  for  one 
teacher  to  keep  in  touch  with  the  reading  tastes  and  the 
intellectual  and  moral  needs  of  some  forty  pupils  than  for  a 
librarian  to  keep  in  touch  with  five  hundred  or  a  thousand. 
The  advantage  of  the  teacher,  therefore,  comes  from  dealing 
with  a  smaller  group  of  persons. 

In  this  connection,  by  way  of  concrete  illustration,  it 
may  be  of  interest  to  refer  briefly  to  how  some  of  these 
problems  are  being  worked  out  in  Grand  Rapids  in  co- 
operation with  the  Board  of  Education.  In  every  one  of  the 
public  school  buildings  of  the  city,  except  a  few  which  are 
near  the  main  library  building,  there  is  a  collection  of  from 
three  to  eight  hundred  books  selected  and  maintained  by  the 
library,  except  that  the  records  of  circulation  are  under  the 
control  of  the  principals  of  the  schools.  Card  catalogs  of 
these  collections  are  also  being  made  for  the  especial  bene- 
fit of  the  children.  The  helpfulness  of  such  a  school  col- 
lection to  the  children  is  universally  recognized  in  our  city. 
A  similar  plan  is  in  vogue  in  other  cities,  notably  in  Mil- 
waukee   and    Buffalo. 

In  addition  to  these  school  libraries,  the  library  sends  to 
the  schools,  as  requested  for  class  room  work,  a  selection 
of  books  on  topics  under  discussion  or  study,  in  its  system 
of  travelling  library  boxes.  These  boxes  hold  from  thirty 
to  fifty  volumes,  according  to  the  size  of  the  books,  which 
may  be  selected  by  the  teacher  or  by  the  library  along  the 
lines  suggested  by  the  teacher,  both  methods  being  followed. 
This  box  service  adds  immensely  to  the  interest  of  the  larger 
pupils  in  the  subjects  they  are  studying  by  giving  them  a 
wider  range.  The  books  are  used  in  the  school  room,  or  are 
taken  home  by  the  pupils  for  additional  study  or  supple- 
mentary reading.  These  boxes  are  sent  out  for  a  period  of 
four  weeks,   but   they  may  be  exchanged  oftener  if  desired. 


246  -  SAMUEL  H.   RANCK 

The  most  interesting  development  of  the  relation  be- 
tween the  library  and  the  schools  in  Grand  Rapids  is  the 
establishment  of  branch  libraries  in  school  buildings  for  the 
use  both  of  the  pupils  in  the  school  and  for  the  people  of 
the  whole  neighborhood.  The  Board  of  Education  for  such 
branches  supplies  the  heat,  light,  and  janitor  service  and 
equips  the  room,  and  the  library  supplies  the  books,  the 
periodicals  and  the  librarian.  Two  dozen  current  periodicals, 
including  a  daily  newspaper  from  Chicago,  are  kept  on  file, 
and  in  each  of  these  collections  there  are  at  least  looo  vol- 
umes, new  books  being  added  from  time  to  time  at  about 
the  rate  of  lo  a  month.  The  collections  are  more  or  less 
of  a  general  nature,  about  half  of  them  being  for  children, 
but  this  winter  we  are  placing  into  four  of  these  branch 
libraries  200  volumes  which  have  been  chosen  wholly  with 
reference  to  the  work  in  the  schools.  These  will  be  known 
as  school  reference  books.  They  have  been  selected  with 
the  greatest  care  on  the  part  of  the  principals  and  the  li- 
brary. They  will  not  circulate  except  during  the  vacation 
periods.  At  other  times  they  will  always  be  in  the  library 
for  the  use  and  special  benefit  of  the  school  children.  In 
this  way  there  will  be  in  each  of  these  school  buildings  from 
three  to  four  hundred  reference  books,  more  than  half  of 
which  relate  directly  to  the  school  work,  besides  1000  or 
more  volumes  for  general  circulation.  Many  books  in  the 
school  reference  collection  are  duplicated  and  thus  available 
for  circulation.  Just  how  this  plan  will  work  out  we  are  not 
yet  able  to  determine,  but  we  believe  that  it  will  strengthen 
the  teaching  work  of  the  school  immensely,  and  that  it  is  a 
legitimate  function  of  the  library  to  take  charge  of  the  work, 
if  for  no  other  reason  than  to  get  the  pupils  while  in  school 
in  touch  with  the  library,  so  that  the  library  may  hold  on  to 
them,  as  it  were,  after  they  leave  school. 

In  all  of  this  work  the  personality  of  the  librarian  who 
works  with  the  school  children  is  of  the  utmost  importance, 
not  only  in  making  the  library  and  the  books  of  the  greatest 
service  to  the  child,  but  also  in  creating  the  desire  to  con- 
tinue the  use  of  books  in  the  right  way  through  life.  Indeed, 
in  all  work  for  children  too  much  emphasis  cannot  be  placed 
on  the  personality  of  both  the  librarian  and  the  teacher. 


T.ll'.kAin'    AM)  S'll'DI'.XT  247 

Other  ways  of  makin<r  the  library  of  service  to  the  chil- 
dren of  school  a;j:e,  which  we  are  iisinj^  in  Grand  Rapids, 
are  for  the  children's  librarian  to  visit  the  schools  through- 
out the  city,  both  public,  pamchial  and  private,  and  address 
the  pupils  on  the  use  of  the  library  and  the  use  of  books; 
to  have  these  children  come  to  the  library  in  classes  with 
their  teachers  to  receive  instruction  in  its  use  with  particular 
attention  to  the  classification  and  use  of  the  card  catalosii: 
the  giving  of  weekly  "story  hours''  conducted  by  the  library 
at  six  different  points  in  the  city,  and  to  which  the  children 
come  only  because  they  enjoy  the  stories  told — the  stories 
being  designed  to  serve  as  an  introduction  to  the  master- 
pieces of  literature  or  to  some  particular  book  or  books;  the 
giving  of  illustrated  lectures  under  the  auspices  of  the  li- 
brary in  the  school  buildings  where  branch  libraries  are 
maintained,  the  subjects  of  which  are  frequently  of  special 
interest  to  the  school  work  of  the  child;  the  reserving  of 
books  from  the  circulation  department  of  the  main  library 
on  the  shelves  in  the  reference  department  on  subjects  being 
studied  in  school,  for  the  special  use  of  the  children  and  the 
teachers.  All  of  these  efforts  help  to  bring  the  child  directly 
in  contact  with  the  library  and  serve  to  introduce  him  to  it. 
The  instruction  work  we  regard  as  of  very  great  importance, 
and  we  already  find  that  children  of  eight  to  twelve  years 
understand  the  card  catalogs,  and  can  use  reference  books 
and  the  whole  library  much  more  satisfactorily  and  under- 
standingly  than  a  large  proportion  of  the  adults.  In  short, 
we  are  endeavoring  to  train  the  whole  rising  generation  to 
be  intelligent  readers,  and  students  and  workers  on  their 
own  account.  This  instruction  in  the  use  of  the  library  is 
also  done  for  the  High  School  students,  the  emphasis  there 
being  placed  on  the  use  of  Poole's  Index  and  other  reference 
books  in  the  reference  department  of  the  library.  The 
value  of  all  this  work  to  the  child  as  a  student  in  school  is 
a  factor  of  no  small  importance,  for  the  teachers  universally 
admit  that  the  children  who  read  good  books  are  getting 
much  more  out  of  their  school  work  than  those  who  read 
bad  books  or  nothing  at  all. 

Another  feature  of  the  work  of  connecting  the  library 
with  the  child  and  the  school  is  the  fact  that  the  principals 


248  -  SAMUEL  H.  RANCK 

in  the  public  schools  return  to  the  library  the  names  and 
addresses  of  all  those  who  leave  school  permanently.  These 
are  followed  up  by  the  library  with  a  personal  letter  to  each 
in  the  effort  to  get  them  to  continue  their  education  through 
that  institution.  Accompanying  the  letter  from  the  librarian 
is  a  leaflet  entitled  "The  right  start;  or,  don't  be  a  quitter," 
telling  why  it  is  worth  while  for  a  boy  or  girl  to  continue  to 
use  the  library  after  he  leaves  school. 

To  sum  up,  the  conclusion  of  the  whole  matter  is  that 
the  library  and  the  school  should  co-operate  in  every  possible 
way  in  this  work  of  making  the  library  of  greater  service  to 
the  child  of  school  age.  This  cannot  be  done  satisfactorily 
by  each  working  alone.  Each  must  learn  to  know  more  of 
the  work  of  the  other.  The  teacher  must  learn  more  of  the 
best  ways  to  use  books  and  libraries — a  knowledge,  by  the 
way,  which  too  many  teachers  lack  ;  the  librarian  must  un- 
derstand the  problem  of  the  school — a  problem  about  which 
most  of  us  librarians  have  much  to  learn.  And  finally  the 
librarian  and  the  teacher  must  know  each  other.  Eor  this 
better  understanding  we  have  been  holding  for  a  number 
of  years  an  annual  conference  on  children's  reading.  In  this 
conference  teachers,  parents  and  librarians  always  take  part. 
We  must  work  together,  and  to  do  this  to  the  greatest  satis- 
faction a  number  of  details  must  be  adjusted  so  that  the 
routine  of  the  two  institutions  do  not  conflict  with  each 
other.  This,  however,  is  a  matter  of  detail  and  not  a  mat- 
ter of  principle.  But  it  can  be  done,  it  is  being  done,  and 
it  will  be  done  more  and  more  as  we  are  gripped  with  the 
idea  that  the  welfare  of  the  child  is  the  one  thought  that  all 
of  us  must  always  keep  to  the  front. 


THE  READIXG  OF  HIGH  SCHOOL  liOYS 
AND  GIRLS 

One  of  the  most  important  problems  before  the  school 
is  the  teaching  of  its  pupils  to  love  books.  This  is  difficult 
for  two  reasons,  first,  because  its  efforts  must  be  pre- 
ceded bv  home  influences  that  many  children  do  not 
have ;  and  secondly  because  teaching,  unless  watched, 
tends  toward  formality  and  standardized  methods,  and 
formality  is  too  apt  to  breed  dislike.  Light  is  thrown 
on  this  question  by  a  paper  read  by  Percival  Chubb  be- 
fore the  New  York  State  Teachers'  Association  at  Ro- 
chester, N.  Y.  in  1910. 

Lercival  Chubb  was  born  in  De\'onport,  England,  in 
1860  and  educated  at  the  Stationers'  School  in  London. 
After  10  years'  service  under  the  Local  Government 
Board,  he  came  to  this  country,  where  he  has  become 
widely  known  as  a  teacher  and  lecturer.  He  has  been 
head  of  the  English  Department  in  the  Manual  Training 
High  School  of  Brooklyn  and  Principal  of  the  High 
School  of  the  N.  Y.  Ethical  Culture  Society.  Since  1911 
he  has  been  leader  of  the  Ethical  Society  of  St.  Louis, 
Mo. 

What  T  have  to  sa}^  specifically  on  this  subject  may 
be  said  in  a  very  few  words.  After  having  said  it  I  shall 
beg  leave  to  add  a  few  remarks  on  the  functions  of  the 
library  in  the  education  of  the  young,  and  trust  that  I 
shall  be  excused  if  T  cut  a  wider  swath  than  my  particular 
topic    seems    to    call    for:    I    shall    not    attempt    to    deal    with 


250  ^  PERCIVAL  CHUBB 

it  in  any  general  way,  but  will  contribute  facts  drawn  from 
my  own  experience  and  the  conclusions  to  which  they  have 
led    me. 

Let  me  say  frankly  at  starting  that  the  library  problem 
does  not  bulk  large  in  my  high  school  experiences.  I  wish  it 
did;  but  I  intend  to  be  candid  in  reporting  the  actual  facts 
of  the  case.  The  chief  reason  why  the  library  does  not 
come  in  for  a  great  deal  of  consideration  is  that  the  use 
of  the  library — aye,  the  use  of  the  books — does  not  bulk 
large  in  the  lives  of  the  young  men  and  women  with  whom 
I  have  had  to  do.  They  do  not  read  much  either  during 
their  high  school  period  or  after  it.  Books  play  but  a 
small  part  in  their  lives — that  is,  outside  the  books  which 
they  use  as  tools  in  their  school  work  or  in  their  vocation. 
The  part  that  books  do  play  is  chiefly  decorative;  they  are 
used  to  adorn  a  room  much  as  a  college  flag  is  used.  Later 
on,  when  an  apartment  is  to  be  furnished,  a  few  bargain 
sets  are  added  to  the  furniture  of  the  parlor  as  a  piano 
may  be,  or,  perchance,  a  Bible.  What  time  is  devoted  to 
reading  after  leaving  school  or  college  goes  to  the  news- 
paper and  the  magazine.  I  have  during  the  past  few  years 
directed  the  studies  and  the  reading  of  groups  of  young 
men,  college  trained  some  of  them,  in  Sunday  evening  clubs 
and  classes;  and  I  have  found  it  hard  work  to  get  them 
to  read  even  a  single  chapter  of  an  assigned  book  in  prepara- 
tion for  our  Sunday  discussion.  The  young  men  and  young 
women  of  New  York  city — and  it  is  specifically  of  New 
York  city  conditions  that  T  speak — devote  what  leisure  they 
get  to  the  theater  and  vaudeville,  concert  and  opera,  the 
public  meeting  and  social  gathering.  They  are  overwhelmed 
by   the    distractions   of   a   great   city. 

Under  such  circumstances  it  becomes  mere  fussiness  to 
devote  much  time  to  training  high  school  students  in  the 
use  of  libraries.  A  half  hour  of  explanation  will  serve  to 
induct  the  average  boy  or  girl  of  reasonable  intelligence 
into  all  that  need  be  known  about  the  mechanism  of  a 
library  in  order  to  enable  them  to  get  from  it  what  the}' 
need   for  the  purposes  of  high   school   work. 

I\Ty  own  main  purpose  as  a  teacher  of  English  is  to  get 
my   pupils    to   love    books.      I    try   to    make    a    beginning   by 


READING  OF  HIGH   SCHOOL  PUPILS  251 

g-ctting  them  to  respect  their  town  textbooks,  or  some 
of  the  more  respectable  ones  at  least.  It  is  possible,  I 
believe,  to  get  them  in  time  to  become  curious  ai)out  books, 
about  each  other's  small  collections  and  the  additions  made 
to  them  from  time  to  time.  Thus,  after  the  Christmas  va- 
cation the  teacher  may  invite  them  to  bring  to  school  the 
volumes  which  they  have  received  as  Christmas  presents. 
In  time  they  may  be  induced  to  spend  a  little  on  books  and 
to  build  up  a  small  choice  library  of  their  own.  The  teacher 
may  bring  in  his  own  books,  gloat  over  a  new  acquisition, 
and  hint  at  the  wonders  that  may  be  found  between  its 
covers. 

Before  reporting  a  few  significant  facts  as  to  the  relation 
of  our  own  school  library  to  high  school  work  I  may  pre- 
mise that  we  have  an  excellent  working  library  at  the 
Ethical  Culture  school.  It  is  an  attractive  place  and  is 
much  used  for  study,  research  and  miscellaneous  reading. 
Students  like  to  go  to  the  large,  bright  room  that  has  a 
charm  and  a  dignity  of  its  own;  they  find  it  a  pleasant 
change  from  the  classroom.  It  is  primarily  a  laboratory, 
a  toolroom  equipped  with  the  purpose  of  allowing  the 
students  to  supplement  the  textbooks  which  the}-  use  and 
enrich  their  stock  of  knowledge  on  matters  about  which 
they   are   studying. 

Now  the  main  fact  about  the  general  reading  of  the 
boys  and  girls  in  the  school,  which  includes  the  elementary 
grades  as  well  as  the  high  school,  is  that  most  of  the  un- 
related reading,  or  reading  for  pure  diversion,  is  done  in 
the  elementary  school.  This  reading  decreases  noticeably 
in  the  seventh  and  eighth  years  of  school  life,  and  amounts 
to  very  little  in  the  high  school.  This  fact  is  easily  ac- 
counted for.  The  lives  of  the  high  school  boys  and  girls 
are  too  full.  In  the  first  place,  their  studies  exact  from 
two  to  three  hours  of  home  work  daily,  a  great  increase 
upon  the  time  demanded  in  the  elementary  grades.  In  the 
next  places,  their  lives  are  full  of  manifold  interests,  both 
within  the  high  school  and  outside  of  it.  There  are  clubs 
of  one  sort  and  another — musical,  dramatic,  literary,  debat- 
ing, French  and  German  circles,  and  other  high  school  or- 
ganizations.      Athletics    claim     some     time,    as     they    surely 


252  .  PERCIVAL  CHUBB 

should  within  reason.  There  are  besides  school  excursions, 
parties,  dances  and  entertainments.  In  my  view,  all  this 
is  as  it  should  be.  so  long  as  these  competing  interests  are 
kept  within  bounds.  They  are  vital,  formative  influences  not 
to   be   dispensed  with. 

Tn  the  next  place  the  regular  school  work  calls  for  not 
a  little  research,  and  this  is  true  not  only  of  the  work  in 
literature  and  history,  but  in  science  and  evoi  in  mathe- 
matics; for  it  is  a  cardinal  requirement  of  our  course  of 
study  that  every  subject  shall  be  considered  from  the  his- 
torical point  of  view  and  that  some  knowledge  of  its  de- 
velopment and  of  the  great  men  who  have  furthered  it 
shall  be  acquired  by  the  students.  This  requirement  is  en- 
forced by  means  of  one  of  the  annual  festivals  of  the  school 
— namely,  the  All  Souls  Festival  celebration,  when  the  stu- 
dents present  in  short,  memorial  notices  the  names  of  chosen 
workers   in   each   of  the   tields   of  human   accomplishment. 

Naturally,  the  work  in  English  calls  for  more  collateral 
reading  and  more  exploration  in  the  library  than  any  other 
subject.  Are  we  studying  some  Homer  in  the  first  year 
of  the  high  school? — our  textbook  version  is  compared  with 
other  standard  translations  (and  I  may  say  that  this  method 
of  comparison  yields  more  fruitful  results  in  developing  lit- 
erary taste  and  judgment  than  does  any  other  method). 
Are  we  reading  short  stories — Irving  or  Hawthorne? — the 
student  ranges  in  an  excellent  collection  of  the  works  of  the 
best  short  story  writers  to  find  parallels  and  contrasts.  Are 
we  studying  Stevenson?  we  quarry  in  his  letters,  essays  and 
poems.  Or  is  it  Macaulay's  essay  on  Johnson  prescribed 
for  college  entrance? — then,  by  way  of  making  Johnson  a 
reality,  each  student  (following  a  common  requirement 
throughout  the  course)  is  expected  to  report  on  one  item 
in  a  list  of  suggested  readings — Rasselas,  London,  one  of 
the  lives  of  the  poets,  or  a  section  of  Boswell's  biography. 
Then  there  is  much  use  made  of  anthologies  to  supplement 
Palgrave's  Golden  Treasury,  and  of  biographies  in  various 
connections  and  for  various  purposes.  Probably  there  is 
no  work  of  reference  better  known  among  our  students 
than  the  monumental  Dictionary  of  National  Biography. 
But  the  teacher  of  English  soon  discovers  that  he  must  be- 


READIXG  OF  HIGH   SCHOOL   I'UI'II.S  253 

ware  of  asking  too  much  of  his  students,  or  the  outcry  is 
raised  by  other  teachers  that  Knglish  is  monopolizing  too 
much   time  to   the  injury  of  other  studies. 

Knowing  all  this,  the  best  the  teacher  can  do  to  in- 
crease the  range  and  to  deepen  the  interest  of  his  students 
in  the  f)rincipal  literature  is  ([uietly  and  persistently  to 
(luicken  their  curiosity  and  slowly  develop  a  feeling  for  good 
books.  He  will  post  a  newspaper  notice  or  review  of  any 
book  that  pertains  to  an  author  who  is  being  studied. 
If  possible  he  will  bring  the  book  to  class.  Furthermore, 
he  will  find  frequent  opportunity  for  slipping  in  the  remark 
apropos  of  any  work  that  calls  for  mention.  "By  and  by 
T  hope  you  will  find  time  to  read  that  glorious  book;"  or, 
"that  volume,  now,  which  you  should  some  time  slip  into 
your  grip  when  you  go  aw^ay  for  a  vacation;  it  is  a  book 
which  should  be  in  one's  pocket  at  the  seashore,  the  moun- 
tains, or  in  the  woods,"  w^hich  leads  me  to  say  that  as  the 
summer  vacation  ofTers  the  best  opportunity'  which  our  stu- 
dents have  for  miscellaneous  reading,  a  good  list  of  vol- 
umes appropriate  to  summer  browsing  is  one  of  the  best 
and  most  helpful  library  lists  which  can  be  compiled.  I  have 
seen  one  or  two  creditable  lists  of  this  sort;  but  one  wath 
a  genuine  vacation  flavor  has  yet  to  be  compiled. 

The  teacher  of  English  must  not  claim  too  much  for 
his  subject  and  expect  too  much  from  his  pupils,  and,  above 
all.  he  must  not  "gush"  about  books.  It  is  the  quiet,  assured 
enthusiasm  that  counts — the  teacher's  ow^n  unostentatious 
reverence  for  books  and  his  fine  scrupulousness  in  handling 
them.  He  must  hate  to  call  forth  any  pretense  and  un- 
reality from  his  students.  Soggy  sentimentality  must  have 
no  chance.  He  must  discount  the  assumption  of  literary 
virtue  on  the  part  of  those   who  do  not  actually  possess   it. 

Although  something  of  a  bibliophile  myself,  I  do  not 
lament  the  rather  small  consideration  given  to  books  by 
the  younger  boys  and  girls;  nor  do  I  believe  that  the  ex- 
tensive use  of  libraries  is  essential  to  the  salvation  of  chil- 
dren. I  speak  of  the  conditions  that  obtain  in  our  great  mod- 
ern Babylon,  the  city  of  New  York,  wdien  I  say  that  the  li- 
brary may  easily  usurp  the  place  of  more  important  activi- 
ties.    It  may  usurp  the  place  of  the  playground,  the  open  air, 


^^ 


254  PERCIVAL  CHUBB 

nature.  These  things  come  first.  Books  should  have  a 
subordinate  place  in  the  life  of  the  young  child.  The  child 
who  is  a  bookworm  is  commonly  the  diseased  child;  or  if 
he  is  not  the  diseased  child,  he  is  the  child  whose  life  is 
so  unnaturally  circumscribed  that  he  cannot  live  the  normal 
life  of  a  healthy  child.  Unfortunately,  in  our  crowded  city 
of  New  York  the  library  may  only  too  easily  become  a 
refuge  from  the  street  and  a  substitute  for  the  playground. 
When  I  read  the  exultant  statement  of  a  librarian  that  daily 
from  three  to  five  her  library  is  crammed  with  children, 
I  lind  myself  exclaiming,  "ah,  the  pity  of  it,  the  scandal 
of  it."  Those  children  should  be  out  of  doors  at  play  and 
if  their  play  were  the  time-honored  play  of  children  through 
the  centuries,  it  would  include  the  vital  elements  of  literary 
education.  For  the  child,  books  are  merely  the  cold-stor- 
age plant  of  literature.  Literature  should  live  in  song,  story 
and  drama,  as  these  are  handed  on  in  singing  games, 
rhymes,  ballads,  dance-dramas,  etc.  Through  these,  the 
proper  heritage  of  childhood,  the  child  would  be  receiving 
most  vital  training  in  rhythm  and  rhyme,  be  amassing  much 
literary  treasure,  forming  taste  and  liking.  I  am,  as  I  have 
ventured  to  assert,  a  book-lover;  but  my  love  of  books 
must  give  way  to  my  love  of  children  and  to  the  love  of 
what  is  most  precious  in  books  — that  is,  the  soul  of  song, 
the  love  of  story  and  of  dramatic  representation.  Books, 
after  all,  are  a  comparatively  modern  invention,  and  the 
lover  of  what  is  preserved  in  them  (I  think  of  the  great  Ger- 
man, Herder,  in  this  connection)  cannot  regard  the  inven- 
tion of  printing  as  an  unmixed  good.  The  Greeks  knew  their 
Homer  without  books  better  than  we  know  Milton  or  Tenny- 
son with  them.  The  England  of  Elizabeth  and  of  our  an- 
cesters  was  fuller  of  song  and  story  and  drama,  of  min- 
strelsy and  l)alladry,  of  mumming  and  folk  game  and  pag- 
eantry than  is  the  whole  of  our  own  huge  country  to-day. 
For  the  widespread  social  or  folk  culture  of  those  former 
days  we  have  substituted  the  restricted  individual  book  cul- 
ture of  to-day.  For  the  self-amusement  of  the  folk  by  the 
commonly  practiced  arts  of  song  and  story  and  drama  we 
have  substituted  amusement  by  the  caterer  and  manager. 
What    we    need    then    to-day,    rather    than    the    unlimited 


READING  OF  HIGH  SCHOOL  PUi4LS  255 

increase  of  children's  libraries  and  of  child-readers,  is  the 
development  of  those  literary  arts  which  are  proper  to 
the  child  as  they  are  to  the  childhood  of  the  race.  For 
this  reason  it  seems  to  me  that  perhaps  the  most  hopeful 
achievement  of  children's  libraries  in  this  country  has  been 
the  development  of  story-telling  and  the  institution  of  the 
story-hour  as  a  part  of  library  work.  Why  not  develop 
further  along  this  line?  Let  us  add  the  song  and  the  ballad, 
which,  like  the  story,  are  things  to  be  heard  and  to  be 
participated  in  rather  than  things  to  be  read;  and  then,  as  is 
the  case  with  our  best  school  practice,  let  the  story  be 
not  merely  recited,  but  acted — the  child's  way  of  reproducing 
a  story. 

The  day  will  come  let  us  hope,  when,  besides  the  library 
as  one  form  of  literary  culture,  there  will  be  the  music  room 
or  music  hall,  where  the  lyric  accomplishments  of  the  race 
may  be  known  through  song,  as  they  were  intended  to  be 
known;  and  next  door  to  the  hall  of  song  the  theater  or 
hall  of  drama,  where  the  dramatic  products  of  the  race, 
which  were  written  to  be  presented,  to  be  seen  and  heard, 
may  become  familiar  to  the  people;  and  surrounding  these 
buildings  there  may  well  be  the  park  and  pleasance  for  the 
outdoor  story  circle,  for  the  popular  gathering  at  which 
the  great  songs  and  choruses  may  be  sung,  and  where  the 
pageants  and  festivals  appropriate  to  great  occasions  may  be 
held. 

It  will  not  be  concluded,  I  trust,  because  I  have  thus 
given  priority  in  the  literary  culture  of  the  child  as  in  the 
literary  diversions  of  the  people,  to  literature  in  its  funda- 
mental, non-bookish  form,  that  I  fail  to  recognize  the  fact 
that  the  library  has  its  specific  and  proper  function,  and 
that,  as  an  institution,  it  has  of  course  come  to  stay.  The 
popular  library  with  its  many  branches  is  the  product  of 
modern  conditions  of  city  life  and  has  become  a  necessity 
in  such  a  city  as  New  York  for  the  reason  that  for  the 
poor  of  our  great  cities  the  private  library  and  the  private 
reading  corner  in  the  home  are  gone,  or  are  rapidly  going. 
And  if  the  reading  room  of  the  library  is  to  be  a  substitute 
for  reading  accomodations  in  the  home,  it  is  as  a  place 
of  literary  resort  rather  than   as  a  laboratory  that   it   is  to 

17 


256  .  PERCIVAL  CHUBB 

be  regarded.  Let  us  make  the  most  of  it  as  such.  Let  it 
offer  a  quiet  and  comfortable  retreat  to  every  would-be 
reader  at  all  times,  and  especially  on  Sundays.  Let  it  be  not 
a  mere  stackroom  for  books,  but  let  it  reflect  in  every  pos- 
sible way  the  piety  and  enthusiasm  of  the  real  lover  of 
books  by  its  small  cases  of  choice  volumes,  by  its  prints 
and  illustrations,  its  portraits  and  autographs.  A  library 
should  communicate  the  spirit  of  the  bibliophile  as  the 
art  gallery  or  the  science  museum  should  express  the  spirit 
of  the  lover  of  art  and  the  lover   of   nature. 

And  in  the  spring  its  doors  should  be  opened  toward  a 
pleasant  and  inviting  prospect  without,  so  that  there  may  be 
reading  beneath  the  trees  in  our  public  parks,  by  means  of 
small  movable  libraries  placed  here  and  there  in  the  parks, 
and,  in  connection  with  these,  the  outdoor  story-telling  which 
has  already  become  a  feature  in  our  summer  playground 
activities. 

And  may  I  not  close  with  a  recital  of  my  own  most 
vivid  experience  as  a  librarian,  an  experience  which  has 
taught  me  in  the  course  of  many  years  not  a  few  important 
lessons  and  from  which  I  have  drawn  some  of  the  conclu- 
sions set  forth  in  this  address.  Soon  after  the  first  Peo- 
ple's palace  had  been  built  in  the  East  End  of  London 
the  plan  was  adopted  of  using  the  large  hall  there  on  week- 
day nights  for  public  dancing  and  on  Sundays  for  read- 
ing. I  was  invited  to  take  charge  there  one  Sunday  evening 
of  the  section  devoted  to  poetry  and  belles  lettres.  I  had 
not  distributed  many  books  to  the  rather  limited  patronage 
of  my  tables  when  a  small  boy  approached  and  asked  me 
for  "b.  book  o'  pomes."  I  was  delightfully  surprised  by 
such  a  request  and  asked,  "Well,  my  boy,  what  kind  of 
poetry  do  you  like?"  to  which  he  answered,  "Oh,  give  me 
somethin'  bloody."  I  remonstrated  mildly,  telling  him  that 
the  library  was  not  intended  to  satisfy  bloodthirsty  cravings; 
but  all  the  time  was  puzzling  as  to  what  to  ofifer  him  so  as  to 
take  advantage  of  my  opportunity.  My  eye  fell  on  the  volume  of 
Church's  Stories  from  Homer.  Here  surely  was  appropri- 
ate material.  "Here,"  I  said  to  the  youngster,  "is  the  story 
of  many  a  glorious  battle.  I  think  you  will  like  this  very 
much;"  and  the  lad  went  off  apparently  pleased.     I  watched 


READING  OF  HIGH  SCHOOL  PUPILS  257 

him  as  he  turned  the  paj^es  more  and  more  rapidly  until, 
within  ten  minutes,  he  had  closed  the  covers.  Then  he  rose 
and,  with  a  disenchanted,  not  to  say  disgusted  air,  handed 
me  back  the  book.  "Why,"  I  said,  "what  is  the  matter?  Why 
have  you  not  read  it?  Do  you  not  like  it?"  "No,"  he  an- 
swered curtly,  "  it  aint  no  good."  "Why,  what  is  the  matter 
with  it?"  I  questioned.  "'Well,  I'll  tell  yer,  gov'nor,"  said 
he  with  a  superior  air,  "it  aint  up  to  date."  That  book 
meant  nothing  to  the  small  boy  because  he  had  not  as  a 
child  heard  the  classic  stories,  the  myths  and  the  legends 
which  might  have  put  him  into  sympathetic  touch  with  the 
Homeric  narrative.  This  incident  served  to  impress  upon 
me  the  importance  of  two  elements  in  the  literary  educa- 
tion of  the  child:  the  need  of  laying  just  the  sort  of  basis 
which  the  story  hour  of  the  modern  library  is  laying  by 
means  of  the  wide  range  of  stories,  fairy  tales,  fables,  myths 
and  legends  with  which  the  trained  story-teller  is  equip- 
ping the  children;  and  in  the  second  place,  the  importance 
of  providing  also  material  which  relates  to  the  life  and 
experiences  of  the  child  in  his  own  time  and  environment. 
It  is  because  the  home  and  the  fathers  and  mothers  and 
nurses  of  to-day  no  longer  supply  this  material  and  this 
basic  literary  education  that  the  teacher,  the  story-teller 
and  the  library  are  called  upon  to  make  good  the  loss.  May 
the  library  for  its  part  continue  to  develop  the  work  it  is 
doing  so  effectively  in  this  field  and  to  this  end! 


HOW  TO  MAKE  THE  LIBRARY  MORE  SERVICE- 
ABLE TO  STUDENTS  OF  SCHOOL  AGE; 
FROM  THE  LIBRARY  WORKER'S  VIEW- 
POINT 

Library  service  to  children  of  school  age,  performed, 
not  in  the  school,  but  in  the  library  itself,  developed  early 
as  an  important  element  in  school  and  library  co-opera- 
tion. Although,  as  has  been  said  elsev^here,  this  branch 
of  the  subject  is  now  generally  referred  to  work  with 
children,  it  can  not  be  neglected  here.  It  was  treated,  in 
the  following  paper,  read  before  the  Library  Section  of 
the  N.  E.  A.  in  1908,  by  one  who  has  had  experience 
both  as  a  children's  librarian  and  as  a  teacher  of  the  use 
of  libraries  to  teachers. 

Effie  Louise  Power  began  her  library  work  as  an 
apprentice  in  the  Cleveland  Public  Library  in  1895  and 
was  the  first  children's  librarian  in  that  library.  She 
entered  the  staff  of  the  Carnegie  Library  of  Pittsburg 
in  1902  and  in  1904  received  the  diploma  of  the  Train- 
ing School  for  Children's  Librarians.  After  serving  for 
five  years  as  Instructor  in  Library  Use  and  Children's 
Literature  in  the  City  Normal  School  of  Cleveland,  she 
returned  in  1909  to  the  Pittsburgh  Library  as  First  As- 
sistant in  the  Children's  Department,  and  in  1911  became 
Supervisor  of  Children's  Work  in  the  St.  Louis  Public 
Library. 


26o  ^  EFFIE  L.  POWER 

Habits  of  speech  indicate  habits  of  thought.  Since  we 
speak  of  the  teacher's  viewpoint  and  the  librarian's  view- 
point we  must  be  conscious  of  a  difference  in  perspective. 
This  does  not  mean  a  deviation  in  ideals  or  a  misconcep- 
tion of  each  other's  work.  The  ultimate  aim  of  school  and 
library  is  the  same:  the  full,  rounded  development  of  indi- 
vidual character.  Toward  this  end  a  body  of  scientific  meth- 
od has  been  evolved  for  each  body.  The  library  is  no  longer 
considered  as  a  mere  adjunct  of  the  school,  although  it  sup- 
plements and  complements  the  school  at  every  turn,  but 
as  operating  in  its  own  educational  field.  School  and  li- 
brary hold  one  educational  ideal  but  we  have  the  teacher's 
viewpoint  and  the  librarian's  viewpoint  since  we  can  catch 
and  fix  the  ever-changing  rays  of  color,  coming  from  the 
light  of  individual  experience  in  each  field.  The  stained- 
glass  window  appears  in  its  true  form  to  those  without  but 
with  what  difference  in  radiancy  of  detail  to  the  one  within. 
With  this  thought  in  mind,  I  will  discuss  the  means  of  co- 
operation which  seem  to  me  to  be  most  helpful  to  children 
in  the  elementary  schools  and  students  in  normal  schools 
who  are  preparing  to  teach  in  the  grades.  What  I  shall 
say  is  from  my  particular  observation  and  experience  and 
is   of  value    to   the   extent   that   it   is   impersonal. 

Let  us  first  sum  up  briefly  the  lines  of  work  already  in 
operation.  All  libraries  have  made  some  provision  for 
student  reference  work  within  the  library;  a  table,  a  corner, 
or  a  room  where  he  may  have  access  to  1)ooks  of  information 
which  supplement  classwork  in  school.  The  earliest  co- 
operation took  this  form  and  all  other  has  been  developed 
from  it.  Now  most  libraries  have  a  separate  room  for  the 
children  and  a  clubroom  where  teachers  and  pupils  may 
meet  together.  These  rooms  are  supplied  with  well-chosen 
collections  of  reference  books  and  books  of  literature,  ar- 
ranged and  catalogued  with  a  view  to  school  needs.  Thus 
provision  is  made  for  class  reference  work,  individual  ref- 
erence work,  and  also  for  quiet  reflective  reading,  personal 
talks  about  books  and  writers,  readings  and  story-telling. 
Small  collections  called  "classroom  libraries''  are  sent  into 
the  schoolrooms  to  be  administered  by  the  teachers.  Gen- 
eral  school  libraries   in   charge   of  a  library  worker   are    put 


MORE  SERVICEABLE  LIBRARIES  261 

into  school  buildings.  Lists,  bulletins,  and  pictures  are  pre- 
pared for  teachers  and  students.  Some  instruction  in  school 
method  is  given  in  the  library  training-schools.  Instruction 
in  the  use  of  a  library  and  the  use  of  reference  books  is 
given  in  colleges,  normal,  secondary  and  elementary  schools. 
This  is  supplemented  in  a  few  normal  schools  by  instruction 
in  children's  literature  and  in  the  elementary  grades  by  story- 
telling. In  a  few  states  librarians  are  giving  instruction 
at  teachers'  institutes.  All  this  work  is  planned  and  carried 
on  according  to  local  needs  by  teachers  and  librarians  but 
the  library  has  taken  the  initiative  in  most  cases. 

Studying  these  lines  of  operation  we  see  that  they  extend 
in  three  directions:  toward  class  use  of  books  of  informa- 
tion, toward  individual  use  of  books  of  literature,  toward 
self-help   in   all  library  use. 

CLASS   USE   OF   BOOKS    OF   TNFOR:NrATTQN 

Methods  of  reference  u?e  have  been  fairly  well  developed 
and  we  are  generally  agreed  in  regard  to  selection  of  ma- 
terial, but  we  are  not  of  one  mind  in  regard  to  the  relation 
of  such  use  to  library  use  in  general.  The  children's  room 
should  not  be  planned  for  student  use  only,  since  it  should 
meet  the  needs  of  the  child  as  a  child,  as  well  as  of  the  child 
as  a  student.  Here  the  children  should  be  taught  to  use  a 
few  standard  reference  books  selected  with  a  view  to  giving 
them  a  basis  for  a  comparative  study  of  the  larger  collection 
in  the  main  reference  room.  The  children's  room  must  take 
the  place  of  the  private  home  library  to  many,  and  there- 
fore should  give  ample  opportunity  to  seek  and  find  the  lit- 
erature of  the  emotions.  Reference  books  may  be  prescribed; 
literature  is  for  individual  selection  and,  because  of  this,  the 
child  may  be  advanced  to  student  work  in  the  main  reference 
room  before  he  is  ready  to  be  turned  loose  in  the  adult  cir- 
culating department.  We  choose  books  of  information  very 
much  as  we  choose  the  cabbage,  for  soundness,  weight  and 
form.  We  choose  fiction  and  books  of  pure  literature  as 
we  choose  the  strawberry — for  flavor.  How  can  we  detect 
this  flavor  if  we  may  not  taste,  or  choose,  if  we  may  not 
compare?     This  freedom  must  be  granted  the  children  if  they 


262  -  EFFIE  L.  POWER 

are  to  develop  any  real  feeling  and  critical  taste  for  litera- 
ture, and  there  is  no  attending  danger  if  the  collection  of 
books  is  well  balanced,  the  librarian  a  wise,  gentle  guide, 
and  the  atmosphere  of  the  room  such  as  to  promote  indi- 
vidual  expression. 

The  clubrooms  within  the  library  provide  a  place  for 
formal  instruction  and  practically  put  the  whole  resources 
of  the  library  at  the  service  of  the  teachers  in  the  nearby 
schools.  Rare  and  beautifully  illustrated  books,  pictures, 
and  museum  specimens  may  here  be  used  to  extend  regular 
classwork,  and  the  use  of  these  rooms  by  teachers  and  pu- 
pils should  not  only  be  allowed  but  encouraged  by  super- 
intendents. 

Library  lists  for  teacher's  use  with  children  should  include 
a  good  many  titles  closely  classified  as  to  subject  but  not 
closely  graded.  The  notes  should  be  first  descriptive  and 
then  critical,  clear,  definite,  and  simple  rather  than  literary. 
Book  specialists  are  apt  to  make  notes  which  presuppose 
a  knowledge  of  the  book  and  the  class  to  which  it  belongs. 
Most  of  our  large  libraries  receive  all  publications  for  chil- 
dren on  approval  and  the  books  which  are  put  into  the  library 
collections  are  a  very  small  per  cent,  of  the  books  actually 
read  by  the  director  of  the  children's  work  and  her  helpers. 
This  wide  reading  and  constant  discrimination  gives  them 
an  outlook  which  is  not  possible  to  busy  teachers  who  are 
specializing  along  many  lines.  It  seems  to  me  that  the  li- 
brarians who  have  this  opportunity  for  comparative  study 
of  books  should  make  the  complete,  annotated  list,  and  that 
the  teacher  who  comes  into  close  contact  with  the  children 
and  has  a  full  knowledge  of  their  immediate  needs  should 
make  the  selected  list.  Lists  to  be  put  into  the  children's  hands 
should  be  short,  of  the  best,  and  annotated  from  the  child's 
point  of  view.  Complete  finding  lists  are  for  mothers,  teach- 
ers, and  librarians  and,  since  they  necessarily  include  many 
books,   for   use   under    supervision. 

INDIVIDUAL   USE   OF  BOOKS   OF  LITERATURE 

The  clubwork,  reading  circles,  and  story  hours,  carried  on 
by  librarians,  is  the  highest  development  of  work   with  stu- 


MORE  SERVICEABLE  LIBRARIES  263 

dents  within  the  library  and  cannot  fail  to  make  itself  felt  in 
the  schools  to  the  extent  to  which  it  develops  feeling,  judg- 
ment, independent  thinking,  and  fredom  of  expression.  The 
object  of  the  Cleveland  library  clubs  is  to  stimulate  thought- 
ful reading  among  children  who  are  not  directed  by  other 
means.  Since  the  membership  is  entirely  voluntary,  the  read- 
ing is  recreative  and  follows  the  interests  of  the  children. 
The  director  of  children's  work  says:  "They  are  not  study- 
clubs  in  the  sense  of  requiring  concentrated  effort  for  any 
length  of  time.  Such  clubs  would  be  an  infringement  upon 
schoolwork."  This  work  is  not  new  and  is  being  carried  on 
in  many  libraries  but  some  recent  Cleveland  experiences 
will  serve  to  show  the  club's  opportunity  with  children  and 
its  relation  to  schoolwork.  A  library  worker  had  met  a 
group  of  girls  from  the  sixth  and  seventh  grades.  They 
were  considering  what  they  should  first  read  together  when 
one  of  the  girls  seized  upon  Eva  March  Tappan's  In  the 
Days  of  Queen  Elizahe^th,  saying,  "Oh !  may  we  read  this  ? 
We  are  studying  English  history  in  school."  This  book, 
read  together,  became  the  center  of  a  many-sided  interest, 
and  during  the  winter  these  girls  known  among  clubs  as 
the  Elizabethans,  read:  Kenihvorth,  Prince  and  Pauper,  Men 
of  Iron,  Master  Skylark,  and  Marshall's  Island  Story.  An- 
other club  prepared  a  travel  talk  on  Japan  which  they  gave 
with  stereopticon  pictures  before  two  audiences  of  children, 
and  one  club  delivered  orations  by  Webster,  Clay,  Lincoln, 
Henry,  and  Sumner. 

Thoughtful  story-telling  within  the  library  has  proved  a' 
most  practical  means  of  directing  children's  reading  along 
definite  lines.  Experience  in  the  children's  room  also  re- 
veals the  fact  that  when  left  to  his  own  volition  the  little 
child  first  reads  the  stories  which  have  been  told  and  read 
to  him  by  mother  and  teacher.  It  is  also  true  that  the  child 
whose  ear  is  not  trained  to  the  rhythmic  movement  of 
Mother  Goose,  stories  in  verse,  and  other  simple  dramatic 
poetry,  never  chooses  to  read  poetry  for  his  own  pleasure. 

Stories  may  occasionally  be  told  in  the  classroom  by  the  chil- 
dren's librarian.  She  knows  books  and  through  special  training 
and  experience  comes  to  know  children.  She  represents  a  source 
of   good  books   to  the   children  and  any   story   she   may  tell 


264  .  EFFIE  L.  POWER 

may  form  a  connecting  link  to  a  chain  of  good  books.  In 
selecting  suitable  material  the  teacher  should  not  always 
require  the  historical,  scientific  and  plainly  ethical  tale  which 
is  a  unit  of  immediate  value,  and  depreciate  the  imaginative 
story  which  leads  to  the  reading  of  the  world's  great  litera- 
ture. 

To  direct  the  children's  home  reading  and  form  their  lit- 
erary taste  is  a  part  of  the  teacher's  duty:  therefore  the  li- 
brarian must  never  be  asked  to  tell  all  the  stories.  As  soon 
as  the  pupils  have  the  power  to  read  for  themselves  with 
any  pleasure,  it  becomes  the  business  of  the  school  to  use 
this  power  for  their  richer  nurture.  The  little  child  enters 
school  with  mind  alert  and  sympathies  keen.  Though  im- 
mature he  is  already  an  individual  who  must  be  helped  to 
intelligent  self-direction  in  the  larger  life  of  the  outside  world. 
He  cannot  be  molded  into  manhood;  he  must  grow  into  such 
fulness  of  life  as  his  own  nature  makes  possible.  This 
growth  depends  upon  the  ever-changing  capacity  of  his 
heart  and  mind  and  the  ever-varying  conditions  of  his  en- 
vironment. It  is  the  chief  business  of  the  teacher  to  supply 
in  attractive  form  the  elements  necessary  for  growth  and 
actual  living,  and  life  in  literature  best  meets  this  need.  The 
child  must  have  vital  contact  with  the  actual  world,  but 
his  actual  experiences  do  not  come  fast  enough  to  fit  him  for  all 
emergencies.  He  needs  the  experience  of  others  and  out  of  the 
primitive  life  of  the  race  have  come  tales  that  delight  all  children, 
satisfy  their  present  wants,  enlarge  their  vision  and  stimulate  to 
noble  action.  The  hero  is  brave  and  courageous,  with  fore- 
thought, he  is  loyal  to  his  friends  and  kind  to  every  living 
creature;  he  acts  with  vigor  and  decision,  outwits  his  ene- 
mies and  triumphs  over  every  difficulty  because  his  cause 
is  righteous.  All  the  nobility  of  purpose  of  many  heroes 
in  real  life  are  concentrated  in  the  soul  of  this  ideal  hero 
and  through  him  the  children  get  association  with  a  noble 
company.  In  this,  pure  literature  equals  if  not  surpasses  his- 
tory. The  writer  of  history  is  limited  in  his  choice  of  sub- 
ject and  freedom  of  action;  the  creator  of  pure  literature 
has  the  whole  range  of  life  itself. 

The    tcaclicr    needs    to    use    literature    in    creating    environ- 
ment because   it   embodies  a  wide   range   of  experience   and 


MORE  SERVICKAIU.K  TJP.KARIES  265 

because  it  presents  the  (ordinary  events  in  life  in  artistic  guise. 
It  is  the  ideal  self  which  feels  and  acts  in  the  poet's  crea- 
tion and  the  growing  boy  or  girl  who  shrinks  from  revealing 
his  deepest  feeling  may  enter  into  this  life  without  any  em- 
barrassment, because  he  is  lifted  above  self-consciousness, 
lie  is  removed  for  the  time  from  the  range  of  his  imme- 
diate experience,  but  he  comes  back  to  it  with  new  sympathy 
and  freedom.  Literature  is  indeed  life,  in  solution.  Shall 
we  consider  it  merely  as  a  recreation,  a  diversion,  a  peg 
upon   which   to  hang  morals? 

Following  the  early  conception  of  the  relation  of  the 
library  to  students,  the  first  classroom  libraries  were  sent 
into  the  higher  grades  of  the  elementary  schools.  The  grad- 
ual acceptance  of  these  libraries  as  a  formative  influence 
has  changed  the  point  of  contact  to  the  lower  grades  and  the 
point  of  contact  necessarily  affects  the  selection.  In  these 
early  grades,  books  are  largely  used  as  a  means  for  stimu- 
lating language  expression  and  the  selection  is  naturally 
determined  by  the  children's  interests.  We  find  the  inex- 
perienced teacher  who  has  developed  very  little  theory  in 
regard  to  children's  reading  but  who  understands  children, 
intuitively  selecting  simple  poetry,  fairy  tales,  and  stories 
which  are  the  best  possible  literature  for  little  children  be- 
cause such  literature  presents  subjects  the  children  like  to 
talk  about.  Beginning  with  the  fourth  grade  there  is  a 
more  conscious  purpose  on  the  teacher's  part  of  creating 
new  interests  which  lead  to  a  demand  for  books  of  informa- 
tion along  many  lines.  The  small  collection  no  longer 
answers  the  whole  need  of  the  class.  There  is  an  immediate 
need  for  technical  books  which  must  be  met  and  the  larger 
need  of  books  to  feed  the  life  giving  spirit  tends  to  become 
secondary.  This  condition  may  be  met  by  placing  a  gen- 
eral library  in  or  near  the  school  building.  Let  this  col- 
lection contain  technical  books,  books  in  sets,  standard  lit- 
erature, and  many  books  for  the  occasional  child.  The  ques- 
tion now  arises  as  to  whether  this  general  library  shall  be 
supplemented  by  classroom  libraries  in  every  grade.  First 
of  all  I  would  ask  the  library  to  provide,  and  liberally,  for 
the  lower  grades.  As  to  later  book  needs,  if  the  teachers 
have    ample   opportunity    for   oral    work    in    literature    in    the 


266  .  EFFIE  L.  POWER 

lower  grades,  and  the  librarian  in  charge  of  the  general 
library  has  time  for  personal  work  in  her  relation  to  all  the 
children,  there  is  no  great  need  for  classroom  libraries  be- 
yond the  fourth  grade. 

These  school  and  classroom  libraries  should  be  under 
the  supervision  of  a  librarian  with  teaching  experience  who 
is  able  and  ready  to  assist  at  teachers'  conferences,  insti- 
tutes, mothers'  meetings,  and  wherever  children's  reading 
is  in  question.  She  can  best  win  recognition  of  her  cause 
through  the  practical  presentation  of  the  literature  she  stands 
for.  When  she  is  invited  to  come  before  any  company,  let 
her  drop  her  theory  in  part,  select  a  few  points,  illustrate 
fully  from  available  sources  and  she  will  be  accepted.  Her 
assistants  should  be  as  carefully  chosen  as  any  worker  within 
the  library  and  this  is  possible  since  the  school  libraries 
need  not  be  open  more   than  two   afternoons   a   week. 

SELF-HELP 

The  work  of  teaching  the  children  to  use  the  library 
should  be  shared  between  the  librarian  and  the  teacher.  In 
giving  this  instruction  both  should  remember  that  there 
must  be  a  real  feeling  for  books  before  any  interest  in  the 
library  as  a  source  of  books  or  the  catalogue  as  a  means 
to  books  can  be  aroused.  That  such  teaching  is  desirable 
is  wholly  accepted  in  theory  but  methods  are  still  in  the  ex- 
perimental stage.  We  began  with  courses  in  bibliography 
in  the  college  and  have  gone  on  to  the  source  of  student 
life;  to  the  child,  and  the  teacher  behind  the  child.  We  have 
come  trailing  some  glory  and  some  dust  of  preconceived  no- 
tions. We  ask  the  child  to  look  up  unfamiliar  words  in  a 
dictionary  and  unknown  subjects  in  an  encyclopedia  and  ex- 
pect him  to  show  all  the  keen  delight  of  a  bibliophile.  If 
the  point  of  contact  be  the  use  of  reference  books,  let  a 
familiar  subject  be  assigned  and  let  the  book  tell  some  things 
already  known. 

Some  defmite  instruction  in  the  use  of  a  few  standard 
reference  books  should  be  given  to  children  beginning  with 
the  fourth  grade.  In  order  that  it  may  begin  at  a  point 
of  interest,  it  should  be  given  to  individuals  or  classes  rather 
than   groups   and   may  well    be   related   to   schoolwork.     The 


MORE  SERVICEABLE  LIBRARIES  267 

person  giving  this  instruction  should  follow  it  with  the 
children  until  they  see  some  finished  product,  whether  it 
be  to  the  recitation  room  to  hear  "more  than  tlic  history 
book  tells  about  the  battle  of  Bull  Run"  or  to  the  back  yard 
to  see  a  pigeon  house.  One  visit  will  fairly  overwhelm  her 
with  confidence  as  to  the  result  of  other  researches,  "I 
found  out  one  thing  that  wasn't  in  the  poem  at  all.  I  found 
what  they  did  with  Paul  Revere's  horse,"  said  a  boy  with 
shining  eyes.  Such  is  the  spirit  of  live  questioning.  Books 
are  dead  things  to  the  child  who  is  laboriously  copying  para- 
graphs on  the  early  life  of  Henry  W.  Longfellow,  the  middle 
life  of  Henry  W.  Longfellow,  and  the  later  life  of  Henry  W. 
Longfellow. 

The  course  in  the  Cleveland  Normal  School  is  planned  to 
help  the  students  to  help  themselves  and,  to  be  consistent, 
we  have  no  librarian.  The  students  charge  and  discharge 
their  own  books  and  put  them  on  the  shelves.  They  do  the 
mechanical  preparation  of  new  books,  write  book  cards  and 
shelf  list  cards,  and  take  an  inventory  once  a  year.  The 
cards  are  not  always  in  best  form,  but  they  are  clear  and  the 
record  is  accurate.  The  instruction  in  the  library  use  is 
given  as  early  as  possible  and  except  for  a  little  help  now  and 
then  each  student  is  her  own  reference  librarian.  We  do  not 
have  all  the  problems  that  face  the  state  normal  school,  as 
our  student  body  numbers  about  two  hundred  and  is  regular 
in  attendance,  but  I  believe  the  working  principle  can  be  the 
same  under  all  conditions.  Instruction  lessens  the  need  of 
immediate  service  on  the  part  of  the  librarian  and  leads 
to  more  independent  research  on  the  part  of  the  student. 
The  routine  does  not  run  so  smoothly  when  your  inspira- 
tion is  weeks  back  and  rooms  away,  but  in  time  there  comes 
a  consciousness  of  strength  into  the  student's  manner  among 
the  books  which  is  worth  more  than  exact  detail.  I  bring 
this  into  this  discussion  to  persuade  the  school  librarians  to 
allow  the  students  to  do  some  part  of  the  work  even  though 
it  seems  at  first  to  be  a  sacrifice. 


INSTRUCTION  IN  THE  USE  OF  BOOKS  IN  A 
NORMAL  SCHOOL 

If  the  teacher  is  to  include  in  his  duties  the  instruc- 
tion of  his  pupils  in  the  use  of  books,  especially  library- 
books,  evidently  he  himself  must  be  trained  to  impart 
this  information.  Hence  the  necessity  of  including  li- 
brary economy  in  some  form  in  the  curricula  of  normal 
schools.  An  additional  reason,  of  course,  is  that  the 
teacher  may  be  called  upon  to  organize  and  direct  a 
school  library  in  his  own  institution.  The  papers  that 
follow  bear  on  this  subject  of  library  instruction  in  nor- 
mal courses. 

First  we  have  one  of  the  earliest  experiments  in  teach- 
ing the  "use  of  books"  in  a  normal  school,  made  in  1896 
in  the  school  at  Stevens  Point,  Wis.,  by  Miss  Warren, 
who  was  then  its  librarian.  She  describes  it  in  the  fol- 
lowing article,  contributed  to  Public  Libraries  in  May, 
1898. 

Irene  Warren  is  a  graduate  of  the  Chicago  public 
schools  in  1893  and  of  the  Armour  Institute  Library 
School  in  1896.  She  was  librarian,  and  instructor  in 
library  economy,  in  the  State  Nonnal  School  at  Stevens 
Point,  Wis.,  in  1896-'97,  librarian  of  Chicago  Normal 
School  in  1897-'99,  librarian  and  instructor  in  Chicago 
Institute  in  1900  and  librarian  and  instructor  in  the  school 
of  library  economics.  University  of  Chicago,  since  1901. 
She  received  the  degree  of  Ph.  D.  from  the  University 


270  IRENE  WARREN 

in  1905.    She  has  also  been  connected  with  several  of  the 
summer  library  schools. 

Emerson  appreciated  the  great  lack  of  an  intelligent  use 
of  books  when  he  wrote:  The  colleges,  whilst  they  provide 
us  with  libraries,  furnish  no  professor  of  books;  and  I  think 
no  chair  so  much  needed.  F.  B.  Perkins  expressed  the  same 
want  in  a  paper  for  the  1876  Government  report  on  libraries, 
when  he  wrote:  Not  the  history  of  literature,  nor  any  one 
literature,  nor  any  one  department  of  literature,  nor  the 
grammar  of  any  language,  nor  any  one  language,  nor  lan- 
guage itself,  nor  any  form  of  its  use,  nor  even  any  particular 
form  of  thought.  It  is  something  higher  than  any  one  of 
these;  it  is  not  any  one  subject,  nor  any  field  of  investiga- 
tion, but  it  is  a  method  for  investigating  any  subject  in  the 
primitive  records  of  human  thought.  It  might  be  compared 
with  the  calculus  in  applied  mathematics,  it  is  a  means  of 
following  up  swiftly  and  thoroughly  the  best  researches 
in  any  direction,  and  then  pushing  them  further;  it  seeks  to 
give  a  last  and  highest  training  for  enlarging  any  desired  de- 
partment of  human  knowledge.  It  is  the  science  and  art 
of  reading  for  a  purpose;  it  is  a  calculus  of  applied  literature. 

It  was  these  ideas  that  encouraged  me  to  formulate 
a  remedy  for  the  lack  every  thoughtful  schoolchild  feels  so 
strongly  all  through  his  school  course.  With  the  help  of  a 
very  interested  president  the  work  was  started  at  the  State 
normal  school,  Stevens  Point,  Wis.  The  normal  and  pre- 
paratory classes  were  divided  into  eight  sections  of  about 
35  pupils  each.  One  section  met  one  half  hour  each  day, 
four  days  a  week.  The  time  was  so  short  and  the  amount 
to  bring  before  them  so  great,  that  the  half  hour  was  gen- 
erally taken  to  talk  to  them,  and  then  a  list  of  questions  bul- 
letined that  brought  out  the  points  taken  up,  which  the 
pupils  answered  and  handed  in  for  correction.  We  only 
studied  such  books  as  were  there  in  the  Normal  school  li- 
brary.    The  plan  of  the  work  was  as  follows: 

i)  Students  were  taken  into  the  library  and  its  working 
principles  explained — the  arrangement  of  books  on  the  shelves, 
the  use  of  the  card  catalog  and  bulletin  boards,  the  rules 
and  regulations  read,  what  the  librarian  expected  of  the 
pupils  and  what  they  could  expect  of  her. 


BOOK-INSTRUCTION   IN  NORMAL  SCHOOLS  271 

2)  Dictionaries. 

3)  Cyclopedias. 

4)  Other  reference  books:  Appleton's  annual  cyclopedia, 
Poole's  index,  Annual  literary  index  and  Cumulative  index. 
Century  cyclopedia  of  names,  Lippincott's  gazetteer,  Har- 
per's book  of  facts,  etc. 

5)  Wisconsin  laws  regarding  libraries.  Relation  of  li- 
braries and  schools.  (A  copy  of  the  list  of  books  for  district 
schools  prepared  by  state  superintendent  of  schools  given 
to   each   pupil.) 

6)  Each  pupil  given  a  problem  to  work  out,  such  as — 
What  books  would  you  use  in  presenting  the  subject  of  birds 
to  an  eighth  grade,  and  how  would  you  use  them?  a)  Books 
the  teacher  would  use  in  preparing  lesson,  b)  Books  the 
teacher  would  recommend  to  pupils  preparing  lesson, 
c)  Books  for  supplementary  reading.  List  to  include  not 
only  science  books,  but  also  essays,  poetry,  pictures,  and 
songs. 

7)  Periodicals.     Those   especially  helpful  to  teachers. 

8)  Clubs,  home  libraries,  traveling  libraries,  public  li- 
braries, and  how  they  may  aid  in  school  work.  How  to 
encourage  children  to  read  good  literature. 

9)  Value   of   notes,   how   to   take   and   preserve   them. 
As  an  example  of  how  a  subject  was  worked  up,  I  will 

take  the  second  talk,  which  was  on  Dictionaries.  Those 
taken  were  the  Webster's  International  and  Academic,  the 
Standard,  and  the  Century.  The  points  brought  out  were 
the  general  construction,  size,  binding,  price,  illustrations, 
supplements,  diacritical  marks  used  in  each,  etc.,  and  a  com- 
parison of  the  value.  The  following  questions  to  show  the 
value  of  the  supplements  were  bulletined  for  students  to 
look  up  in  these  dictionaries,  and  tell  in  what  one  the  an- 
swers were  found. 

i)  Where  did  we  get  the  expression  Almighty  dollar? 
Who  was  called  the  Attic  muse?  Which  is  the  Bay  state? 
Who  wrote  the  Battle  of  the  frogs  and  the  mice?  Who  is 
Geofifrey  Crayon,  Esq.? 

2)  What   is   the   meaning  of   the   dafTodil?   the   opal? 

3)  Meaning  of  "lex  terrea"? 

4)  Meaning   of   the   following  abbreviations:    hhd.,   bal.? 

18 


272'  IRENE  WARREN 

5)  Who  was  the  Quaker  poet?  Which  is  the  Quaker 
city? 

6)  Where  are  the  illustrations  of  various  snowflakes  to 
be  found? 

7)  Where  are  the  seals  of  the  states  given? 

8)  In  what  books  are  the  following  characters:  Agnes 
Wickfield,  Rosalind,  Prospero,  Rebecca  the  Jewess,  Old  man 
of  the  seas,  Ichabod  Crane. 

9)  What  is  known   as   "the   dark   day"? 

10)  Give  the   seven  wonders  of   the  world. 

In  addition  to  this  classroom  work,  a  system  of  traveling 
libraries  wds  started  in  the  county  and  two  home  libraries 
in  the  Polish  district  of  the  town.  We  would  send  word  to 
the  teacher  of  a  district  school  that  we  would  visit  him,  if 
convenient,  on  a  certain  Friday  night  or  Saturday  afternoon, 
and  we  would  like  also  to  meet  his  pupils  and  the  people  of 
the  community.  We  would  talk  to  them  about  books  and 
pictures  and  some  students  always  went  with  us  who  sang 
and  played  for  them. 

There  were  many  disadvantages  in  the  class  work  under- 
taken. The  meetings  were  not  often  enough  to  keep  up  the 
students'  enthusiasm.  The  students  were  overworked  before 
this  course  was  started,  and  the  library  classes  always  found 
them  exhausted  from  their  day's  work.  But  perhaps  the 
most  serious  difficulty  of  all  was  the  fact  that  the  classes 
were  in  no  way  graded  according  to  their  knowledge  of 
books. 

The  aim  of  the  work  was: 

i)   To  show  the  value  of  the  library  in  educational  work. 

2)  To  show  how  libraries  may  be  started  and  maintained. 

3)  To  show  the  way  to  use  books  to  the  best  advantage. 

4)  To  familiarize  teachers  with  the  best  reference  books, 
periodicals,  and  authors. 

5)  To  acquaint  teachers  with  the  labor  and  time  saving 
devices    librarians    have    carefully   worked    out. 

6)  To  start  students  on  an  equal  basis  in  this  line  the 
same  as  they  are  started  equally  in  arithmetic,  language,  and 
history. 

7)  To  bring  out  the  broad  side  of  the  subjects — the 
poetry,  art,  essays,  songs,  and  science. 


BOOK-INSTRUCTION    IN  NORMAL  SCHOOLS  273 

8)  To  bring  out  the  relative  value  of  books  in  the  homes 
and  public  institutions. 

9)  To  make  possible  a  mure  intcUii^ent  and  pleasing 
presentation   of  a  subject. 

10)  To   lead   to   a   study   and   comparison   of   authorities. 

11)  To  encourage  a  serious  study  of  children's  literature. 

12)  To  open  up  the  possible  lines  and  avenues  of  study 
to  both  teachers  and  pupils.  Carlyle  says,  The  true  univer- 
sity of  these  days  is  a  collection  of  books. 

A  course  in  this  line  of  work  must  be  as  carefully 
planned  to  fit  existing  conditions  and  needs  as  a  course  in 
history  and  literature.  Details  would  doubtless  work  out  in 
a  much  different  way  in  some  communities  than  they  did  in 
Stevens  Point.  But  the  questions  for  careful  consideration 
are: 

i)  Is  there  enough  of  value  in  such  a  course  of  study 
as  this  to  warrant  its  adoption? 

2)   Is  the  normal  school  the  place  for  it? 


VITALIZING  THE    RELATION    BETWEEN    THE 
LIBRARY  AND  THE  SCHOOL 

The  next  article  gives  an  account  of  the  beginnings 
of  the  course  in  the  Cleveland  Normal  School.  This  is 
noteworthy  as  coming  from  the  school  side. 

May  H.  Prentice  is  a  graduate  of  the  Western  Illi- 
nois Normal  School  and  is  now  Director  of  Training  in 
the  Kent  State  Nomial  School,  Kent,  Ohio.  Miss  Pren- 
tice began  teaching  in  the  country  schools  in  Ohio  in 
the  early  eighties  and  later  entered  the  Cleveland  Public 
Schools  where  she  taught  in  all  primary  and  grammar 
grades  and  later  in  the  City  Normal  School.  She  was 
one  of  the  first  teachers  to  use  the  class  room  libraries 
sent  out  by  the  Cleveland  Library  in  1885  and  it  was 
largely  through  her  influence  that  a  course  in  Library- 
Instruction  was  introduced  into  the  Cleveland  Normal 
School  in  1901. 

Years  ago  a  little  girl  ran  down  a  country  road  to  meet 
the  light  wagon  returning  from  town  with  the  purpose  of 
climbing  into  the  back  and  so  getting  a  ride.  Without  turn- 
ing, the  wise  elder  brother  spoke  from  the  driver's  seat:  "I 
wouldn't  undertake  that  if  I  were  you."  And  over  his 
shoulder  a  breathless  but  dignified  voice  answered,  "But  I 
have   already  undertooken   it!'' 

A  similar  answer  might  reasonably  be  expected  from 
the  library  to  any  well-meant  but  tardy  advice  from  the 
school-side  in  regard  to  the  vitalization  of  the  relation  be- 
tween the  school  and  the  library.  It  has  already  been  ac- 
complished, and  comparatively  small  thanks  are  due  to  the 
school   for  its   doing. 


276  -  MAY  H.  PRENTICE 

Graded  lists  of  books,  special  lists  of  materials  for  oc- 
casions, library  leag^ue  work,  the  establishment  of  school 
branch  libraries,  all  these  have  been  the  work  of  the  library 
in  a  much  larger  measure  than  of  the  school. 

However,  there  are  many  teachers  who  share  the  li- 
brary's buoyant  faith  in  the  blessing  which  books  bring. 
These  have  been  first  to  appreciate  all  which  the  library  has 
ofifered  them.  They  have  accepted  all  that  has  been  offered 
them  and  asked  for  more.  They  have  circulated  library 
books  through  their  own  schools,  sometimes  at  considerable 
cost  and  trouble  to  themselves,  and  for  years  have  done  all 
in  their  power  to  make  their  pupils  wise  and  discriminating- 
patrons  of  the  library.  That  the  children  of  their  care  and 
love  might  have  life  and  have  it  more  abundantly — that  is 
why  they  have  done  these  things. 

These  teachers  are  comparatively  few. 

That  it  is  any  function  of  the  school  to  give  joy  to  its 
children  is  an  idea  of  slow  growth.  A  child's  school-time  is 
usually  thought  of  as  preparation  for  living  and  not  as  liv- 
ing itself.  Hence  the  rebuke  of  the  teacher  to  the  child  who 
interrupts  the  "nature-lesson"  to  blow  the  thistle-down 
which  waves  over  his  head,  or  to  watch  the  bee  which  booms 
against  the  window-pane,  or  the  hawk  which  floats  lazily 
against  the  blue  sky.  Life  is  such  a  wild,  wilful,  irregular 
thing.     Quietude,   prudent   inaction,   is   so   much    safer. 

So  with  books.  It  is  the  old  search  for  life,  life,  more 
abundant  life — for  knowledge  of  it,  for  entrance  into  it — 
which  sends  the  child  to  the  fairy-story,  the  boy  to  the  tale 
of  adventure,  the  young  girl  to  the  story  of  romance,  the 
older  man  and  woman  to  the  realistic  novel.  And  it  is  the 
instinctive  feeling  of  the  teacher  and  parent  that  life  is  a 
dangerous  force  and  difficult  of  control  which  has  made 
school  and  home  look  askance  upon  reading  which  the  child 
finds  too  enjoyable. 

There  is  another  feeling  or  belief  which  lies  back  of  our 
doubt  of  work  or  study  or  reading  which  is  too  enjoyable. 
It  is  in  regard  to  the  part  which  love  of  ease  plays  in  human 
enjoyment.  Love  of  ease  is  strong  in  human  nature,  and 
the  man  who  tries  to  get  his  knowledge  of  human  life  mainly 
through  the  novel  has  indeed  sought  a  short-cut  to  his  end 


VITALIZING  LIBRARY  AND  SCHOOL  277 

which  will  bring  him  but  a  short  distance  on  his  way.  This 
is  not  the  time  nor  place  for  the  discussion  of  the  value  of 
fiction,  but  undoubtedly  we  are  inclined  to  believe  that  man's 
indolence  is  a  strong  factor  in  man's  enjoyment  of  certain 
lines  of  reading,  and  indolence  is  a  bad  thing.  Therefore, 
we  distrust  the  value  of  such  reading.  Whether  we  like  or 
dislike  it,  however,  we  are  obliged  to  admit  that  fiction  is  a 
permanent  form  of  literature,  that  our  children  will  read  it. 
and  that  the  question  for  us  to  settle  is  shall  it  be  good  or 
poor. 

What  then,  has  the  teacher  to  do?  Two  things:  To 
be  the  atmosphere  from  which  the  child  breathes  in  love  for 
and  delight  in  good  books.  This  is  first.  All  things  in  the 
way  of  learning  are  possible  after  this.  Second,  To  be  the 
pupil's  guide  and  director  in  what  may  be  called  his  "labora- 
tory practice"  with  books. 

The  Autocrat,  mellowest  of  men  of  ideas,  once  suggested 
that  every  college  and  university  should  have  a  professor- 
ship of  books.  The  Autocrat  was  an  ingrained  aristocrat, 
although  one  most  mild  and  kind.  The  true  democratic  idea 
is  that  a  professorship  of  books  should  be  established  in 
every  school  room. 

But  how  shall  the  blind  lead  the  blind?  How  shall  the 
teacher  who  herself  never  has  learned  to  know,  to  enjoy, 
and  to  choose  good  books  guide  others  to  do  so? 

The  library  is  a  storehouse  of  great  thought,  an  unfail- 
ing source  of  healthful  recreation,  but  also  the  library  is  the 
mine  in  which  the  practical  man  and  woman,  the  lawyer, 
the  machinist,  the  scientist,  the  teacher,  must  dig  deep  for 
information,  if  he  is  to  keep  near  the  head  in  his  own  line  of 
work. 

So  far,  as  I  have  said  before,  nearly  all  organized  effort 
to  teach  the  teachers  along  these  lines  has  come  from  the  li- 
brary. Certain  normal  school  and  college  librarians  have 
done  much,  but  to  a  large  extent  the  work  has  been  on  suffer- 
ance. Odds  and  ends  of  the  students'  time  and  attention 
have  been  given  to  it. 

The  desirable  thing  is  that  the  study  of  juvenile  litera- 
ture and  the  use  of  the  library  shall  take  equal  rank  with 
other    studies    in    the    preparation    of    prospective    teachers; 


278  ~  MAY  H.  PRENTICE 

that  the  normal  school,  the  pedagogical  department  of  the 
college  and  university,  the  teachers'  summer-school  and  in- 
stitute, shall  recognize  this  subject  in  their  curricula. 

The  practical  side  of  library  use — its  use  for  informa- 
tion— is  easily  seen  by  the  public,  and  schools  for  teachers 
can  quite  readily  be  induced  to  make  room  for  the  course 
of  study  suggested. 

In  the  Cleveland  City  Normal  Training  School  an  attempt 
to  carry  out  such  a  'course  of  study  has  been  made.  A  term's 
work  is  given  in  juvenile  literature  and  the  use  of  the  library. 
Moreover,  this  subject  is  placed  upon  an  equality  with  the 
philosophy  of  teaching,  history  of  education  and  psychology. 

As  yet  the  work  is  not  thoroughly  organized.  We  feel, 
however,  that  some  things  of  value  have  been  already  ac- 
complished. 

In  a  twelve-weeks'  term  a  class  of  ii6  prospective  teach- 
ers (the  junior  class  of  the  school)  have  taken  notes  on  a 
series  of  talks  on  reference  books.  They  have  learned  some- 
thing of  the  comparative  value  of  various  standard  encyclo- 
paedias, gazetteers,  dictionaries  and  indexes,  and  they  have 
been  sent  to  the  public  library  a  half-day  at  a  time  to  do 
work  which  required  the  use  of  these. 

For  instance,  a  study  of  the  life  of  Robert  Louis  Steven- 
son was  made  for  the  purpose  of  giving  a  talk  on  the  sub- 
ject to  fifth-grade  pupils.  The  students  were  required  to 
look  up  all  the  available  material  in  the  library,  looking  not 
only  in  the  printed  and  card  catalogs  for  individual  and  col- 
lective biography,  but  in  the  various  indexes — Poole's,  the 
Annual,  the  Cumulative — for  magazine  articles.  They  were 
required  to  select  the  four  or  five  articles  found  most  valu- 
able and  to  estimate  their  comparative  value  for  the  purpose 
in  hand,  making  definite  statements  of  the  points  of  value. 
They  were  required  to  make  careful  and  well-worded  notes 
from  the  best  material  available,  either  books  or  periodicals, 
always  giving  the  source,  and  to  read  these  notes  in  class 
subject  to  the  criticism  of  their  instructor  and  school  mates. 
And,  lastly,  they  were  required  to  write  the  story  of  Steven- 
son's life  as  they  would  tell  it  to  the  children. 

Careful  instruction  in  the  use  of  the  printed  and  card 
catalogs  and  of  indexes  had  preceded  this  assignment.     We 


VITALIZING  LIP.RARV  AND  SniDOL  27Q 

were  fortunate  in  possessing  quite  a  large  number  of  issues 
of  the  Cumulative  index  unbound.  It  was  thus  possible  t<» 
place  one  of  these  in  the  hands  of  each  student  during  in- 
struction on  the  subject.     This  was  a  considerable  aid. 

There  was  too  much  work  with  the  less-used  ready-ref- 
erence books.     Next  year  the  number  will  be  largely  reduced. 

A  study  of  fairy  stories  was  made.  An  attempt  was 
made  to  find  a  philosophical  basis  for  the  love  of  children 
for  fairy  stories.  An  attempt  was  made  to  discriminate 
between  the  good  and  the  bad  fairy  story.  Felix  .idler's 
"Moral  instruction  of  children"  was  helpful  here,  but  the 
study  of  the  fairy  stories  at  first  hand  is  still  more  helpful. 

The  following  books  were  read  by  the  whole  class: 

(i)  Alcott's  "Little  women."  Lessons  were  given  on 
reading  it  with  the  children. 

(2)  Mara  L.  Pratt's  "History  stories,"  vol.  3. 

(3)  Eggleston's  "First  lessons  in  American  history." 
The  Pratt  and  Eggleston  books  were  read  in  succession  for 
the  purpose  of  contrasting  them.  A  yet  better  contrast 
would   have   been   Baldwin's   "Fifty   famous    stories." 

(4)  Frau  Spyri's  "Heidi."  Some  of  our  girls  read  this 
story  in  the  original  German  but  most  in  the  translation 
published  by  Ginn  &  Co.  It  is  a  charming  story  of  a  breezy 
little  maiden  whose  home  was  in  the  Swiss  Alps,  and  one  of 
the   rather  scarce   desirable  books   for  the   fourth   grade. 

(5)  Mrs.  Burnett's  "Sara  Crewe."  This  was  read  as  a 
type  of  the  "child  novel"  and  for  the  sake  of  a  study  of  the 
charms,  dangers  and  benefits  of  this  class  of  books. 

(6)  Howard  Pyle's  "Men  of  iron"  was  read  as  a  study 
of  the  worthy  historical  story. 

The  following  outline  was  given  the  students  as  an  aid 
in   judging  the  books   read: 
Outline  to  aid  in  estimating  a  iuz'enile  book. 

1.  Written    when?    By   whom?    For   children    or   adults? 

[e.  g.,  "Robinson  Crusoe"  and  "Gulliver's  travels" 
were  written  for  adults.]  If  for  children,  of  what 
age?    (Consider  both  manner  and  matter.) 

2.  Essential   purpose   of   the   book:    Recreative?    Instruc- 

tive? Moral?  Is  the  recreation  aflforded  wholesome? 
The  instruction  reliable?    The  moral  lessons  sound? 


28o  -  MAY  H.  PRENTICE 

3.  Style:  Is  it  clear?    Correct?    Beautiful?  Suitable? 

4.  If  a  story,  What  is  the  strongest  character  in  it?     The 

most   effective   passage?    Give   reasons   for   thinking 
so.  Is  it  true  to  life? 

5.  Is  the  book  a  creator  of  ideals?    Hov^  so?    Along  what 

lines? 

An  effort  v^as  made  that  there  should  be  no  formal  ad- 
herence to  this  outline.  Papers  on  the  books  read  were  re- 
quired in  which  the  outline  could  not  be  used.  For  example, 
after  reading  "Men  of  iron"  the  students  were  required  to 
write,  in  class,  a  paper  on  "The  education  of  a  boy  in  chival- 
ry" based  on  the  story  of  Myles  Falworth. 

The  oral  discussions  of  these  books  were  often  very  ani- 
mated. 

Each  student  was  also  required  to  hand  in  an  annotated 
list  of  at  least  20  books  actually  read  by  the  student  and 
judged  by  her  suitable  for  the  grade  in  which  she  is  to  train. 
An  oral  discussion  of  these  lists  took  place,  and  the  student 
in  many  cases  was  required  to  justify  her  judgment,  and  to 
answer  questions  in  regard  to  the  books  read. 

Some  of  these  lists  were  very  cheering.  One  excellent 
list  for  the  sixth  grade,  with  very  original  annotations,  con- 
tained 60  instead  of  20  books  actually  read,  and  30  more  which 
the  student  had  listed  to  be  read  at  her  convenience. 

Not  all  of  the  lists  were  of  that  character.  A  list  for 
the  third  grade  recommended  "Gulliver's  travels,  by  Gulliver" 
as  a  valuable  aid  in  geography. 

The  instance  is  eloquent  of  the  value  of  a  course  of  study  which 
results  in  the  illumination  or  the  elimination  of  such  a  student. 

Much  remains  to  be  worked  out,  but  a  beginning  has 
been  made. 

Ours  is  one  instance  of  the  awakening  of  the  school  to 
the  value  of  the  privileges  which  the  library  gives  it.  And, 
as  the  reward  of  doing  work  well  is  invariably  to  have  more 
work  to. do,  from  the  school  fully  awakened  the  library  shall 
receive  its  exceeding  great  reward  in  more  work  to  be  done. 

Except  for  the  hearty  co-operation  of  the  Cleveland 
Public  Library  the  little  experiment  here  outlined  could  not 
have  been  undertaken. 


A  LIBRARY  COURSE  GIVEN  TO  CITY  NORMAL 
SCHOOL  STUDENTS 

Next  we  have  a  concrete  example  of  a  library  course 
given  by  the  librarian  of  a  mid-western  library  to  normal- 
school  students  in  her  own  city.  This  librarian,  Miss 
Linda  M.  Clatworthy,  was  born  in  Dayton,  Ohio,  in 
1876  and  received  her  bachelor's  degree  in  library  sci- 
ence from  the  University  of  Illinois  in  1900.  She  was 
assistant  cataloger  of  the  Dayton  Public  Library  until 
1901  when  she  became  head  cataloger;  and  after  four 
years'  service,  as  librarian,  she  resigned  in  1913.  She 
has  served  as  president  of  the  Ohio  Library  Association. 

This  account  of  the  way  the  Dayton  Public  Library  is 
working  out  a  library  course  in  the  local  normal  school  of 
the  city  does  not  proclaim  finished  or  satisfactory  work,,  but 
is  merely  a  record  of  experiments,  adjustments  and  results. 
If  it  proves  of  some  assistance  to  other  librarians,  public 
or  normal  school,  who  are  contemplating  such  courses,  it 
will   serve   its   purpose. 

Two  years  ago  we  were  drawn  very  close  to  the  stu- 
dents then  at  the  normal  school  by  means  of  visits  exchanged 
and  a  round  table  meeting  on  children's  books  held  at  the 
library  once  a  week  during  the  summer  vacation.  The 
reading  and  discussion  of  children's  books  was  much  en- 
joyed by  the  students,  and  we  received  many  fresh  criticisms 
upon  our  books  which  were  equally  helpful  to  the  library. 
The  impulse  of  that  summer's  interests  shared  together  has 
been  felt  ever  since.  Four  of  those  young  women  are  with 
us  now  as  librarians  in  the  small  branches  in  school  build- 


282  .        LINDA  M.  CLATWORTHY 

ings,  but  that  is  another  phase  of  the  matter  under  discussion, 
and  comes  properly  under  a  history  of  our  branch  library  de- 
velopment. 

In  1905  the  first  regular  library  courses  were  given,  this 
time  at  the  library  and  as  a  part  of  the  senior  class  work  of 
the  normal  school. 

COURSES   IN    children's   REFERENCE  WORK 

From  January  to  the  middle  of  March  the  class  came  to 
the  library  in  groups  of  two  or  three  each  afternoon,  osten- 
sibly for  practice  in  doing  reference  work  for  school  children 
in  the  school  library  reference  room.  Actually,  however, 
there  was  soon  discovered  such  absolute  ignorance  of  how 
to  find  books  for  themselves  that  this  anticipated  reference 
practice  developed  into  a  simple  course  of  instruction.  Al- 
though all  of  these  21  girls  were  recent  graduates  of  the 
high  school,  their  experience  in  that  school  had  led  them  to 
look  upon  the  library  merely  as  a  place  in  which  to  ask  ques- 
tions or  find  books  reserved  for  them,  with  little  sense  of 
the  orderly  arrangement  of  books  and  indexes,  by  which 
they  could  find  information  for  themselves.  Such  teachers, 
without  library  training  somewhere  in  their  school  course, 
were  not  on  their  way  to  very  effective  knowledge  of  the 
resources  and  use  of  the  library,  either  for  themselves  or  to 
impart   to   their  pupils. 

'This  course  consequently  included  some  simple  first 
directions  about  the  arrangement  of  the  library,  with  special 
attention  to  the  resources  of  the  juvenile  and  school  libraries 
for  answering  children's  reference  questions,  and  some  no- 
tice of  adult  reference  books  adaptable  to  this  use.  Simple 
problems  were  given  after  the  explanation  of  each  step. 
At  the  end  of  the  course  a  test  was  given  covering  the  gen- 
eral classes  of  the  Decimal  Classification,  shelf  numbers 
for  a  few  subjects  of  special  school  interest,  the  location 
in  the  library  and  description  of  certain  reference  books,  the 
general  arrangement  of  catalogs,  and  the  selection  of  a  few 
references  to  books  showing  where  material  might  be  found 
on  a  given  school  reference  question.  Each  student  gave 
to  this  course  two  hours  at  a  time,  two  days  a  week  for  five 
weeks,   20  hours   in   all,   and   received   individual    attention. 


COURSE  IN  NURMAL  SCHOOLS  283 

COl'KSK     IN     TIIK     rSK     OK      IIIK     l.ll-.KAkY 

In  April  there  followed  what  was  to  have  been  the  first 
technical  course  in  the  general  use  of  the  library,  such  as 
would  appeal  to  any  student  who  had  previously  used  the 
library  for  herself  without  making  a  study  of  it  sufficiently 
to  be  independent  or  to  explain  it  to  others.  The  class  came 
in  a  body  for  this  course,  which  consisted  of  six  lectures  with 
problems  as  follows: 

Lecture  i — Rooks  as  tools. 

Lecture  2 — Arrangement  of  books  in  libraries. 

Lecture  3 — The  making  of  the  card  catalog. 

Lecture  4 — Some  reference  books  and  how  to  answer  ques- 
tions with   them. 

Lecture  5 — How  to  prepare  a  bibliography. 

Lecture  6 — Guidance  of  children's  reading,  illustrative  ma- 
terial, etc. 

A  syllabus  outlining  the  lecture  for  note-taking  was  given 
each  student. 

Lecture  i,  on  "Books  as  tools,"  was  designed  to  give 
(i)  a  clear  conception  of  the  individuality  of  a  book  in  quot- 
ing it  as  authority  and  of  its  construction  in  consulting  it  for 
reference,  and  (2)  to  suggest  a  basis  for  critical  discrimina- 
tion of  the  contents  of  books  in  selecting  one  among  many 
for  reference  use.  Under  (i)  was  explained  the  literary 
makeup,  as  the  title  pages  (author,  editor,  date,  edition,  etc.), 
preface,  contents,  index,  footnotes,  bibliographies  and  ap- 
pendices; and  mechanical  makeup,  including  type,  paper, 
illustrations,  maps,  etc.  Under  (2)  were  considered  the 
bases  of  critical  judgment,  as  author,  scope,  treatment,  point 
of  view,  literary  style  and  appeal.  The  problem  following 
this  was  to  go  to  the  shelves  and  look  over  several  books 
found  on  a  certain  subject,  briefly  describe  the  difference  in 
their  contribution  to  the  topic  in  hand  and  finally  select  the 
best  book  for  the  purpose  desired. 

Lecture  2,  on  "The  arrang^ement  of  books  in  the  library."' 
was  planned  as  an  explanation  of  the  Dewey  Classification, 
as  the  system  used  in  the  local  library  and  also  in  most 
other  public  libraries  with  which  the  students  would  come 
in  contact.  Its  scheme  of  arrangement  and  notation  were 
briefly  outlined,  and  the   class  was  asked   to   memorize   the 


284  LINDA  M.  CLATWORTHY 

numbers  of  certain  subjects  which  would  be  constantly  used 
by  teachers.  The  call  number  on  the  books  was  explained 
as  a  symbol  directing  to  their  location.  The  way  then  nat- 
urally led  to  the  catalog  as  being  the  index  of  the  book  col- 
lection, as  the  classification  was  merely  its  table  of  contents. 

Lecture  3  was  designed  to  explain  the  mechanism  of 
the  catalog  for  student  use.  The  author  card,  as  the  unit  of 
the  catalog,  was  described  upon  the  blackboard  and  its  con- 
tents explained  as  expressing  the  facts  about  the  literary 
and  mechanical  makeup  of  the  book  noticed  in  Lecture  i. 
A  book  was  cataloged  before  the  class,  showing  the  way  in 
which  the  subject  material  is  sifted  out  once  for  all  and  put 
in  shape  for  future  reference  in  the  catalog.  This  lecture 
was  accompanied  by  an  outline  on  "How  to  use  the  catalog," 
showing  what  kind  of  entries  may  be  expected  for  a  book, 
how  to  select  the  right  subject  entry,  the  value  and  use  of 
cross  references,  the  extent  of  analytical  material,  alphabet- 
ing,   subject  subdivisions,  special  cards,  etc. 

Lecture  4,  upon  "Reference  books,"  described  the  scope 
and  arrangement  of  typical  works  in  the  adult  collection, 
with  problems  in  answering  given   questions. 

Lecture  5  was  upon  the  preparation  and  form  of  a  bibli- 
ography, and  the  problem  was  to  prepare  brief  reading  lists 
for  children  on  certain  school  topics  assigned,  using  refer- 
ence books,  catalogs  and  magazine  indexes,  and  referring 
to  adult  and  children's  books.  Some  of  the  subjects  were 
Bees,  Trees,  Russia,  Battleships,  King  Arthur  and  his 
knights,  etc.  The  material  was  to  be  examined  personally 
and  the  list  was  briefly  annotated. 

The  course  closed  with  an  exposition  of  the  methods 
used  by  libraries  to  call  attention  of  the  children  to  good 
books,  such  as  reading  aloud  and  story  telling;  an  exhibit 
of  picture  bulletins  and  book  lists,  and  a  visit  to  the  museum, 
where  the  custodian  showed  curios  and  specimens  which 
could  be  used  to  illustrate  class  work. 

Thus,  from  January  to  May  of  their  senior  year  these 
normal  school  students  were  brought  to  the  public  library 
at  intervals  for  instruction  and  practice  in  its  use,  both  for 
their  own  and  their  pupils'  needs.  They  also  learned  of 
their  library  privileges,  both  as  special  students  and  as  teach- 


COURSE  IN   NORMAL  SCHOOLS  285 

ers,  including  the  school  room  libraries.  No  time  was  given 
for  direct  acquaintance  with  children's  hooks,  the  emphasis 
this  year  being  upon  the  reference  use  of  the  library.  During 
the  summer,  however,  and  far  into  the  next  year,  several 
offered  their  services  as  substitutes  at  the  library  and  for 
giving  talks  to  the  children  during  the  period  of  the  vaca- 
tion reading  room.  The  school  library  books,  forming  the 
vacation  reading  room,  were  open  to  their  free  use  and  they 
were  cordially  invited  to  read  and  enjoy.  This  they  did  to 
a  considerable  extent. 

Looking  back  upon  the  experiments  of  the  past  two 
years  with  our  normal  school,  we  feel  that  at  one  time  or 
another  these  teachers  have  touched  all  the  points  of  library 
contact  needed  under  the  local  conditions  here.  Adminis- 
trative problems,  for  those  in  charge  of  rural  school  libraries, 
are  beyond  the  responsibility  of  a  city  library.  The  best 
distribution  of  the  course  in  the  school  system,  however, 
is  still  to  be  effected,  as  well  as  the  improvement  of  details 
of  the  course.  The  general  technical  course  on  the  use  of  the 
library  should  eventually  be  pushed  back  into  the  first  years 
of  the  high  school,  where  pupils  begin  to  use  outside  authori- 
ties in  their  lessons.  Until  this  can  be  accomplished,  we  are 
to  put  the  technical  course  into  the  first  instead  of  the  second 
normal  school  year,  thus  introducing  the  students  to  the 
library  at  the  beginning  of  their  normal  school  study.  This 
course  should  be  followed  throughout  the  year  by  at  least 
weekly  visits  to  the  library  in  preparation  of  lessons.  Thus 
would  be  brought  about  some  of  the  "living  in  the  library 
atmosphere,"  which  is  so  desirable,  making  the  public  li- 
brary a  real  laboratory  for  the  normal  school.  No  matter 
how  good  a  library  the  city  normal  school  may  have,  the 
public  library,  with  its  larger  resources  and  children's  books, 
should  be  constantly  used.  A  teacher's  J-eference  collection 
could  be  gathered  to  attract  the  teacners,  containing  not 
simply  books  on  pedagogy  and  text  books,  but  some  of  the 
best  illustrative  material  for  story  telling  and  lesson  presenta- 
tion, along  with  good  editions  of  some  of  the  best  repre- 
sentative   children's   books. 

During  the  senior  year  when  the  class  is  largely  out  in 
practice    work    in    the    schools,    the    practice    at    the    library 


286  LINDA  M.  CLATWORTHY 

should  tend  toward  reference  work  with  the  children  as  they 
come  from  the  schools,  together  with  a  survey  of  the  re- 
sources of  the  library  for  children's  references.  This  will 
not  only  tend  to  lead  them  to  send  their  own  pupils  to  the 
library  later  for  information,  but  will  enable  them  to  direct 
the  children  more  intelligently  to  books  and  to  plan  their 
reference  work  more  in  harmony  with  the  library. 

The  culmination  of  the  normal  school  library  course 
should  be  the  acquaintance  with  children's  books.  The 
school  use  of  books  for  information  and  reference  having 
now  been  made  clear,  books  as  tools  should  be  forgotten 
and  a  course  of  pure  delight  and  inspiration  should  be  offered 
in  the  literature  of  childhood.  The  course  we  are  offering 
this  year  includes  talks  upon  the  various  classes  of  children's 
books  followed  by  reading  at  home  and  discussion  in  class 
of  type  books  as  follows:  i,  Books  for  the  very  youngest 
children,  including  picture  books  and  Mother  Goose;  2,  Class- 
ic myths  and  legends;  3,  Fables  and  folk-lore  fairy  tales; 
4,  Modern  fairy  tales,  wonder  tales  and  nonsense;  5,  Poetry 
for  children;  6,  Adaptations  of  literary  classics;  7  and  8, 
Fiction;  9,  History,  hero  tales,  travel  stories,  biography; 
10,  Nature  books,  science,  industries.  The  books  are  taken 
home  by  the  students  for  reading,  if  possible  to  children,  and 
evaluation.  The  discussion  in  class  includes  reports  and  com- 
ments on  this  reading.  In  this  way  each  teacher  will  be- 
come acquainted  with  about  160  of  the  most  fascinating  chil- 
dren's  books. 

The  possible  influence  of  the  teacher  in  inculcating  the 
reading  habit  and  starting  the  child  along  the  right  lines  of 
reading  is  very  great.  Yet  without  some  knowledge  and 
taste  in  children's  books  the  teacher  has  sometimes  been 
a  hindrance  rather  than  a  help  in  the  ideals  the  library  strives 
for.  Such  poverty  of  suggestion  has  led  many  teachers  to 
send  children  to  the  library  for  adult  stories  or  poor  chil- 
dren's books,  such  as  "Graustark"  or  the  "Elsie"  books;  and 
when  "teacher  says  it's  good  to  read"  it  is  very  difficult  to 
persuade  a  child  to  take  something  else  from  the  library 
shelves. 

Our  course,  we  hope  and  have  reason  to  believe  from 
recent  experience,  will  assist  the  teachers  to  become  efficient 


COURSE  IN  NORMAL  SCHOOLS  287 

helpers  of  the  library  in  recommencling  the  best  books  to 
the  children  as  well  as  in  selecting  books  for  their  class  room 
libraries.  A  few  of  the  teachers  so  instructed  are  already 
coming  into  the  city  schools  and  some  fill  positions  in  the 
country  schools  around  us.  Many  have  expressed  their  ap- 
preciation of  the  library's  efforts. 

I  hope  to  see  the  day  when  our  schools  will  all  include 
something  in  their  curricula  on  the  use  of  books  and  li- 
braries. We  have  begun  by  introducing  a  course  into  the 
normal  school,  the  vital  point  of  contact  with  the  grade 
schools  and  the  children,  but  eventually  the  course  should 
be  distributed  throughout  the  school  system  and  most  of 
the  instruction  should  be  given  by  the  schools  rather  than 
by  the  library.  A  library  thoroughly  classified  and  cataloged 
and  with  shelves  all  open  to  the  public,  offers  the  advantages 
of  a  private  library  to  every  person  who  knows  of  its  privi- 
leges. Study  will  not  be  so  apt  to  stop  with  graduation  from 
school  if  one  is  graduated  into  such  a  library  with  the  abil- 
ity to  use  it.  And  since,  unfortunately,  out  of  the  children 
who  enter  our  first  grades  only  one  in  ten  keeps  on  through 
high  school,  the  lower  down  in  the  school  system  this  con- 
nection with  the  library  is  made  the  better. 


19 


now  FAR  SHOULD  COURSES  IN  NORMAL 
SCHOOLS  AND  TEACH  RRS*  COLLEGES 
SEEK  TO  ACQUAINT  ALL  TI<:ACHERS 
WITH  THE  WAYS  OF  ORGANIZING  AND 
USING  SCHOOL  LIBRARIES? 

The  question  of  the  scope  of  State  Normal  courses  in 
the  organization  and  use  of  school  libraries  is  presented 
by  President  Felmley  of  Illinois  State  Normal  University, 
in  a  paper  about  to  be  quoted. 

David  Felmley  was  born  near  Somerville,  N.  J.,  in 
1857.  He  was  graduated  at  the  University  of  Michigan 
in  1881  and  after  serving  for  eight  years  as  Superin- 
tendent of  Schools  in  Carrollton,  111.,  became  in  1890 
professor  of  mathematics  in  the  State  Normal  School 
at  Normal,  111.  Since  1900  he  has  been  president  of  this 
institution. 

The  purpose  of  the  school  library  is  to  supplement 
strengthen  and  broaden  the  instruction  in  every  subject,  so 
far  as  this  may  be  done  through  the  aid  of  books.  To  ac- 
complish this  end: 

1.  The  library  must  enable  the  student  to  use  books  as 
tools.  He  must  understand  card  catalogs,  and  indexes  and 
be  able  speedily  to  find  topics  in  books  of  reference. 

2.  The  library  must  help  him  to  know  good  books,  to 
love  them,  and  to  acquire  the  habit  of  reading  them. 

The  recent  growth  of  libraries  has  profoundly  modified 
the  modes  of  instruction  in  vogue  a  generation  ago.  At 
that  date  the  text  book  method  prevailed  in  the  elementary 


290  DAVID  FELMLEY 

and  secondary  schools.  The  pupil  was  assigned  a  set  portion 
of  the  text  to  be  mastered.  In  some  schools  the  practice  of 
rote  learning  existed,  and  the  pupil  was  expected  to  repro- 
duce the  exact  words  of  the  text  with  the  same  fidelity  as  if 
he  were  reciting  a  chapter  of  the  Bible.  The  teacher  was 
little  more  than  a  drill  master.  In  better  schools  the  instruct- 
or would  question  the  meaning  of  the  paragraphs  studied  so 
as  to  relate  them  to  the  child's  previous  knowledge,  and 
would  frequently  supplement  the  text  with  pertinent  illustra- 
tions or  additional  facts  drawn  from  his  own  store  of  knowl- 
edge. In  the  colleges  the  instruction  was  chiefly  by  lectures, 
a  method  that  originated  before  the  art  of  printing,  and  was 
indeed  a  proper  and  necessary  method  when  books  were 
scarce  and  the  teacher  encompassed  within  himself  all  the 
learning  of  the  world  relating  to  his  subject.  With  indus- 
trious and  faithful  professors  the  lectures  were  supplemented 
by  oral  quizzes  and  explanations,  and  an  occasional  formal 
written    examination. 

The  text-book  method  still  prevails  in  the  elementary 
school  but  the  library  has  come  to  supplement  and  enlarge. 
With  older  pupils  in  the  high  school  and  college  the  lecture 
or  text-book  now  serves  chiefly  to  open  up  the  subject,  to 
show  its  organization,  to  disclose  its  vistas.  Library  readings 
more  and  more  are  expected  to  furnish  the  bulk  of  the  de- 
tail that  gives  significance,  reach,  and  application  to  the 
facts  or  principles  of  the  text-book  or  introductory  lecture. 

A  teacher  to-day  cannot  properly  organize  his  courses 
of  instruction  unless  he  knows  the  resources  of  the  library 
and  the  mode  of  using  these  as  an  auxiliary  in  his  work. 
Hence  the  study  of  the  method  for  which  the  normal  school 
is  supposed  peculiarly  to  stand  must  include  the  use  of  the 
library  as  an  educational  instrument.  No  teacher  is  qualified 
for  the  modern  school  unless  he  knows  where  to  look,  for 
what  to  look,  and  how  to  look  in  getting  information. 

The  normal  student,  like  every  other  student,  to  use 
the  reference  library  efficiently  must  know  it  not  as  a  mere 
collection  of  books,  but  as  an  organization.  He  should  be 
given  access  to  the  shelves,  he  needs  to  know  the  system  of 
cataloging,  and  the  location  of  the  various  classes  of  books, 
periodicals,  maps,  pictures,  and   other  library  material. 


SCOPE  OF  NORMAL  COURSES  291 

He  needs  acquaintance  with  the  standard  reference  books 
— encyclopedias,  dictionaries,  gazetteers,  atlases,  almanacs, 
guidebooks,  etc.  The  student  should  be  familiar  with  the 
special  merits  of  each,  the  various  appendices,  and  supple- 
ments; he  should  know  that  it  is  sometimes  better  to  consult 
an  old  edition  of  a  book  of  reference.  He  needs  also  ac- 
quaintance with  the  special  handbooks,  like  Harper's  "Book 
of  facts"  and  Brewer's  "Reader's  handbook." 

He  needs  knowledge  of  the  various  indexes  of  periodi- 
cals, literature  and  of  government  publications. 

He  needs  to  know  the  general  make-up  of  a  book,  and 
how  to  use  prefaces,  tables  of  contents,  and  running  head- 
lines to  locate  his  special  topics. 

He  needs  to  know  how  to  study  the  references  when 
found,  how  to  take  notes   intelligently. 

This  body  of  knowledge  cannot  be  acquired  and  retained 
by  the  pupil  from  listening  to  formal  lectures  of  the  librarian. 
It  must  come  through  the  daily  use  of  the  reference  library. 

It  can  be  acquired  only  through  the  co-operation  of 
teachers  and  librarian.  Many  of  the  students  come  to  the 
institution  wholly  unfamiliar  with  libraries.  Some  know 
little  of  books  beyond  their  text  books.  They  have  never 
heard  of  classification  numbers.  How  can  they  understand 
them,  or  recognize  bound  magazines  w^hen  their  widest  ex- 
perience with  periodicals  included  only  the  unbound  copies 
of  Wallace's  "American  farmer"  and  the  Ladies'  Home  Jour- 
naif  A  welcome  from  the  librarian  and  a  personally  con- 
ducted trip  through  the  library  as  she  explains  the  larger 
features  of  the  organization  and  arrangement  will  banish  the 
sense  of  strangeness.  But  not  all  this  needed  information 
can  be  acquired  through  trips  and  talks.  It  must  come 
through  the  daily  use  of  the  reference  library.  Unless  the 
instructors  in  the  normal  school  are  familiar  with  the  li- 
brary, its  contents  and  organization,  unless  they  have  learned 
to  use  the  library,  and  provide  for  its  systematic  use  by  their 
pupils,  the  normal  school  student  is  not  likely  to  become 
skilled  in  the  use  of  the  library.  Normal  teachers  are  sup- 
posed to  be  among  the  best  of  the  profession,  yet  I  suspect 
every  librarian  can  make  a  long  list  of  the  sins  of  such  teach- 
ers— sins   both    of   omission    and    commission.    It    is    not   un- 


292  .  DAVID  FELMLEY 

common  for  teachers  to  send  students  to  the  library  with  a 
topic  stated  in  such  vague  and  uncertain  terms  that  neither 
students  nor  librarian  can  guess  just  what  is  wanted;  to  send 
a  class  of  40  to  consult  a  book  of  which  the  library  contains 
but  a  single  copy,  and  that  possibly  drawn  out  by  the  teach- 
er himself;  to  refer  a  class  to  a  single  monograph,  when 
there  are  possibly  half  a  dozen  other  good  ones  on  the  same 
topic — that  the  teacher  will  himself  refer  to  later. 

A  teacher  experienced  in  the  use  of  the  library  will  rarely 
send  a  whole  class  of  beginners  to  the  library  to  investigate 
a  topic  without  himself  furnishing  a  reference  sheet  for  their 
use,  or  giving  the  librarian  ample  notice. 

Teachers  may  feel  that  they  are  losing  valuable  time 
when  they  stop  to  give  formal  instruction  in  the  use  of  the 
library  in  their  subject.  Yet  we  may  doubt  whether  any  time 
is  better  ernployed.  If  a  student  makes  out  a  bibliography 
by  book,  chapter  and  page  of  the  library  resources  touching 
a  particular  topic,  or  if  a  class  prepares  for  its  successors 
a  card  catalog  of  all  articles  and  chapters  that  they  have 
found  especially  helpful,  along  with  the  ordinary  information 
gained  has  come  the  appreciation  of  a  new  method  of  study. 

Nearly  all  young  students  waste  time  in  the  library 
through  not  knowing  how  to  study  the  reference  material 
when  found.  It  is  not  proposed  to  set  up  the  claim  that 
there  is  only  one  right  method  of  studying.  We  are  told 
that  there  are  several  excellent  methods  of  making  good 
cofifee,  and  we  wonder  how  it  happens  that  our  country  hotels 
find  so  many  other  ways  of  making  execrably  poor  coffee. 
So  there  are  many  good  ways  to  studying;  the  personal  ele- 
ment enters  it.  Yet  it  is  a  fact  that  our  students  have  found 
other  and  very  poor  ways — it  makes  no  difference  from  what 
state,  section  or  school  they  happen  to  come. 

The  book  is  scarcely  open  before  they  begin  to  write. 
Copying  before  they  have  read  the  article  through,  they  write 
down  a  great  many  unnecessary  words,  if  indeed  there  is 
any  necessity  for  writing  down  anything  at  all — what  they 
are  really  doing  is  taking  all  this  time  to  copy  the  informa- 
tion, and  then  studying  it  afterward  from  a  somewhat  il- 
legible manuscript  instead  of  studying  directly  from  the 
printed  page. 


SCOPE  OF  NORMAL  COURSES  293 

A  way  of  iisins-  still  more  tinu-  is  to  take  this  penciled 
copy  home  and  write  it  with  ink  in  a  permanent  notebook. 
I  found  a  L;irl  followinj^:  this  method,  her  reference  book 
to  be£?in  with  being-  almost  more  extensive  than  her  text- 
book. She  said  she  had  wondered  why  it  took  her  so  long 
to  get  that  lesson. 

We  find  many  students  taking  notes  in  this  fashion  in 
the  preparation  of  a  class  paper.  They  copy  whole  para- 
graphs intending,  they  say,  "to  boil  them  down"  in  the  soli- 
tude of  their  own  rooms.  We  have  tasted  the  decoction. 
Instead  of  mastering  the  article  and  noting  down  the  bare 
points,  later  to  be  amplified  and  discussed  in  the  student's 
own  language,  we  find  this  other  laborious  procedure  in 
which  the  pupil  rarely  escapes  from  the  phraseology  of  the 
book.  The  idea  of  studying  seems  to  be  through  the  slow 
medium  of  pencil  and  paper  instead  of  the  more  rapid  but 
more  intense  way  of  thinking  and  comprehending. 

I  do  not  deny  the  value  of  the  motor  activity  involved 
in  the  use  of  the  notebook — the  importance  of  writing  un- 
familiar names  and  indicating  their  pronunciation,  and  occa- 
sionally copying  sentences  or  whole  passages  of  such  beauty, 
strength,  or  significance  that  they  are  worth  committing  to 
memory.  A  well-written  notebook  from  a  library  study  is 
second  in  value  only  to  the  notebook  of  a  laboratory  course, 
or  of  a   series  of  "excursions." 

I  think  you  will  agree  with  me  that  to  enable  students 
properly  to  know  and  use  the  library  merely  as  a  library 
of  reference  needs  the  joint  effort  of  librarian  and  teacher. 
The  librarians  in  our  normal  schools,  I  suspect,  are  doing 
their  part  better  than  the  teachers.  Too  many  of  us  date 
from  a  period  when  libraries  were  few,  scant,  unorganized 
and  little  used.  The  trained  librarian  had  not  appeared. 
Library  science  was  unheard  of.  Furthermore,  the  educa- 
tion we  received  was  largely  formal.  Our  language  teachers 
cared  more  for  our  knowledge  of  inflections  and  syntax  than 
for  our  appreciation  of  Greek  or  Roman  literature  and  life. 
To  a  student  of  mathematics  in  those  days  the  library  could 
contribute  little.  Hence  the  methods  by  which  we  were 
taught  and  our  own  early  practice  did  not  reckon  with  the 
library  as  a  large  factor  in  our  instruction.     The  growth  of 


294  DAVID  FELMLEY 

the  library  has  been  parallel  to  a  change  in  the  aim  and 
method  of  our  schools. 

The  emphasis  has  gradually  shifted  from  form  to  con- 
tent. The  change  of  emphasis  required  a  change  in  the 
mode  of  instruction,  a  change  that  from  the  mere  inertia 
of  habit  we  are  slow  to  make  even  when  we  recognize  the 
inadequacy  of  our  old  ideals.  The  day  has  come  when  in 
selecting  a  teacher  for  a  normal  school  faculty  we  must 
ask  these  questions:  Is  the  candidate  a  library  student?  Has 
he  received  his  own  training  under  teachers  who  had  made 
the  systematic  use  of  the  library  a  feature  of  their  instruc- 
tion? We  must  ask  this  question  because  we  know  that  the 
example  and  practice  of  our  teachers  is  a  larger  factor  in 
developing  the  library  habit  than  the  most  learned,  skilful 
and  patient  of  librarians. 

This  daily  recognition  of  the  function  of  the  library 
by  the  normal  teachers  will  possibly  be  the  chief  agency  in 
developing  right  practice  in  normal  students  when  they  be- 
gin to  teach;  for  the  fact  remains  that  in  our  early  teaching 
we  proceed  by  imitation  rather  than  by  precept  or  reason. 
We  depend  far  more  for  guidance  upon  the  example  of  our 
own  teachers,  than  upon  the  educational  doctrine  that  they 
have  inculcated. 

The  other  important  agency  is  the  practice  teaching  of 
the  training  school.  In  a  good  normal  school  library  about 
every  term's  work  in  the  practice  school  is  organized  by 
means  of  the  available  material  in  the  library.  The  student 
teacher  is  assigned  to  his  class  early  enough  to  gain  some 
preliminary  acquaintance  with  this  material.  He  thus  in- 
herits the  wealth  gained  by  his  predecessors.  Through  his 
own  independent  reading  he  may  be  able  to  make  worthy 
additions  to  the  reference  sheets  or  card  catalog  dealing 
with  his  term's  work.  At  all  events  no  student  teacher 
should  be  passed  unless  he  shows  as  fair  a  degree  of  skill 
in  the  use  of  the  library  as  he  shows  in  his  questioning,  his 
lesson-planning,  his  assignments,  his  use  of  apparatus,  or 
other  details  of  instruction. 

Besides  this  knowledge  of  how  to  use  a  library  and  the 
habit  of  using  it  both  as  a  student  and  a  teacher,  the  normal 
student   needs   a   knowledge   of   titles,   of   the    names    of   the 


SCOPR  OF  NDRAfAT.  COURSRS  295 

leading  poets,  novelists,  essayists,  orators,  historians,  and 
scientific  writers  of  the  worhl;  he  needs  to  know  something 
of  their  spirit,  their  style,  their  purpose,  their  contribution 
to  civilization  and  the  titles  of  their  leading  works.  A 
generation  ago  we  studied  Shaw's  "History  of  English  liter- 
ature;" we  learned  the  names  of  hundreds  of  books  that  we 
never  saw.  It  was  a  good  deal  like  studying  a  book  catalog 
or  undertaking  to  satisfy  one's  hunger  by  perusing  the  menu 
card.  The  schools  have  rebelled  against  this  empty  study. 
We  are  now  studying  literature  itself  instead  of  books  about 
literature.  Yet  there  is  a  place  for  that  older  knowledge. 
We  learn  names  of  countries  and  cities,  their  location,  in- 
dustries, products,  institutions,  objects  of  interest  and  other 
characteristics,  even  if  we  do  not  expect  to  visit  these  coun- 
tries and  cities.  Similarly  I  may  know  of  the  "Origin  of  spe- 
cies" that  it  was  written  b}'  Charles  Darwin  and  published  in 
1859;  that  it  was  probably  the  most  influential  book  of  the 
19th  century  because  it  led  to  the  general  acceptance  of  the 
doctrine  of  descent  and  organic  evolution  which  has  so 
profoundly  modified  our  thinking  in  every  field  of  knowledge; 
that  it  deals  especially  with  natural  selection  as  the  chief 
factor  of  organic  evolution,  that  its  leading  chapters  deal 
with  the  variation  of  plants  and  animals  under  domestication, 
with  variation  under  nature,  with  the  struggle  for  existence 
due  to  overproduction,  with  the  survival  of  the  fittest,  with 
the  laws  of  variation,  with  geological  and  geographical  dis- 
tribution, and  with  the  difficulties  of  the  theory.  This  sort 
of  knowledge  of  the  book  is  possessed  by  hundreds  who  have 
never  read  the  book  through.  It  may  be  called  the  libra- 
rian's knowledge  of  the  book,  for  some  people  say  that  a 
librarian  never  reads  a  book — barring  novels.  But  it  is  a 
form  of  knowledge  of  high  value  to  one  who  may  need 
some  day  to  turn  to  this  information  or  direct  others  to  it. 
It  is  a  sort  of  literary  map  that  we  all  need  acquaintance 
with  if  we  are  to  find  our  way  in  the  world  of  thought. 

A  special  field  for  the  teacher  is  the  knowledge  of  juven- 
ile books.  Some  he  may  know  and  love  at  first  hand.  If 
he  is  to  read  to  his  class  the  chapter  that  will  make  the  chil- 
dren hungry  for  it  all — and  read  it  in  right  fashion— he  must 
himself  have  assimilated  the  book.     But  aside  from  the  few 


296  ,  DAVID  FELMLEY 

that  the  normal  student  can  thus  study  is  a  much  larger  list 
of  trustworthy  books  that  he  can  recommend  to  parents  or 
himself  select  for  his  pupils.  In  my  own  personal  experience 
as  a  bookbuyer  I  have  found  some  difficulty  in  getting  re- 
liable lists.  I  have  bought  books  for  the  school  library  that 
the  children  would  not  read.  Since,  in  my  older  days,  I  have 
seen  the  methods  used  by  authors  and  publishers  to  get  their 
books  upon  reading  circle  lists,  I  do  not  wonder  that  some 
of  the  chaff  gets  into  the  cleanest  measure  of  wheat.  The 
market  abounds  in  picture  books  poor  in  line  and  color,  in 
fairy  stories  without  the  good  'old  flavor,  in  books  of  fiction 
that  teach  children  to  despise  their  elders,  in  collections  of 
verse  that  are  merely  cheap  sentiment  in  rhyme,  in  nature 
books  weakened  by  personification  until  they  are  neither 
good,  true  nor  beautiful.  The  normal  schools  should  co- 
operate in  a  patient  and  thorough  experimental  investigation 
of  children's  books  to  be  conducted  without  fear  or  favor. 

In  addition  to  these  lines  of  knowledge  relating  to  the 
use  and  choice  of  books,  every  normal  student  should  go 
forth  equipped  with  some  of  the  special  knowledge  of  the 
librarian.  As  a  teacher  he  will  find  himself  in  one  of  the 
three  types  of  schools,  either  with  a  public  library  to  be 
worked  with,  or  with  a  school  library  to  be  organized  and 
used,  or  yet  with  no  library  in  existence — one  to  be  bought. 

In  any  case  he  needs  more  or  less  knowledge  of  books 
from  the  librarian's  point  of  view,  in  order  to  select,  order, 
accession,  classify,  catalog,  label  and  repair  them.  A  knowl- 
edge of  paper,  type  and  bindings,  of  pictures  and  periodicals, 
of  charging  systems  and  library  laws. 

If  the  teacher  is  to  work  with  a  public  library  he  needs 
to  select  books  to  be  taken  to  his  school,  if  this  practice  be 
permitted;  he  should  be  able  to  find  his  way  through  the 
public  library,  to  use  its  catalog,  to  read  its  labels,  to  under- 
stand and  explain  its  laws  and  charging  system.  If  a  school 
library  is  to  be  organized  and  managed  the  knowledge 
needed  will  justify  a  formal  course  in  the  normal  school. 
Besides  the  points  previously  mentioned,  which  will  require 
more  than  a  dozen  lessons,  are  many  others  of  high  value 
in  developing  a  school  library.  Government  and  state  pub- 
lications, and  other  inexpensive  sources  of  library  material; 


SCOTE  OF  NORMAL  COURSES  297 

the  mounting:,  labeling  and  filing  of  pictures,  the  care  of 
pamphlets  and  newspaper  clippings,  and  many  minor  points 
of  library  economy  familiar  to  all  librarians.  Without  this 
knowledge  applied  to  its  management  the  school  library 
remains  a  mere  collection  of  books,  falling  far  short  of  its 
highest    usefulness. 

If  the  considerations  set  forth  in  this  paper  be  true  it 
must  follow  that  all  teachers  be  thoroughly  instructcfl  in 
the  use  of  the  scliool  library,  and  that  all  except  those 
destined  to  work  in  our  larger  cities  in  co-operatir)n  with 
public  libraries  under  trained  librarians  need  a  knowledge 
of  librar}^  organization  and  administration. 

Probably  the  class  excepted  would  use  the  library  more 
frequently  and  more  intelligently  because  of  this  course  in 
library  economy. 


METHODS  TO  BE  USED  BY  LIBRARIES  WORK- 
ING WITH  SCHOOLS  TO  ENCOURAGE 
THE  USE  C^E  REAL  LITERATURE 

The  general  educational  principles  that  are  the 
basis  of  co-operation  between  libraries  and  schools,  and 
the  proper  aim  and  end  of  methods  adopted  for  this  pur- 
pose, were  discussed  by  Miss  McCurdy,  of  the  Carnegie 
Library  of  Pittsburg,  in  a  paper  read  before  the  Chil- 
dren's Librarians'  Section  of  the  A.  L.  A.  in  1907. 

Mary  de  Burc  McCurdy  was  born  in  Freeport,  Pa. 
She  is  a  graduate  of  Washington  Seminary,  Washing- 
ton, Pa.,  and  has  studied  at  the  Universities  of  Chicago 
and  Pittsburgh.  After  teaching  in  Washington  Semi- 
nary and  in  Wilson  College,  Chambersburg,  Pa.,  where 
she  finally  rose  to  be  head  of  the  Department  of  Greek- 
History,  she  became,  in  1904,  supervisor  of  the  Schools 
Division  in  the  Carnegie  Library  of  Pittsburgh  and 
instructor  in  the  Training  School  for  Children's  Librari- 
ans. 

The  library  and  the  school  are  cooperating.  That  this 
fact  is  true  is  best  proven  by  a  glance  at  the  library  pub- 
lications of  recent  date. 

There  are  certain  well  recognized  methods  of  procedure 
which  all  agree  to  be  conducive  to  the  best  results  and  suc- 
cess of  this  movement.  Classroom  libraries  and  miscellane- 
ous collections  of  books  are  sent  to  schools,  pictures  are 
loaned,  stories  are  told  and  books  are  read  by  library  visitors, 
lists  of  desirable  books  for  boys  and  girls  and  lists  for  col- 


300  .  MARY  D.  McCURDY 

lateral  reading-  are  printed,  bulletins  and  posters  give  all 
possible  information  concerning-  new  books,  there  are  teach- 
ers' reading  lists,  talks  to  principals  and  teachers,  exhibits 
of  school  work  at  libraries,  special  talks  on  library  methods, 
card  catalogs,  and  reference  books,  at  the  school  or  library; 
branch  libraries  have  been  established  in  the  schools,  special 
help  is  given  to  the  children  in  the  reference  room  as  an  aid 
to  school  work,  systematic  training  in  library  methods  and 
courses  in  children's  literature  are  ofifered  in  the  normal 
schools.  Time  would  fail  me  to  recount  the  devices  that 
have  been  and  are  employed  to  beguile  teachers  and  pupils 
to  come  with  us  that  we  may  do  them  good.  Yet,  the  subject 
assigned  me  for  this  hour  indicates  that  "there  remaineth 
yet  much  land  to  be  possessed." 

As  a  result  of  the  widely  dififering  systems  of  instruction 
and  no  systems  followed  by  the  schools  in  the  United  States, 
there  must  be  wide  diflference  in  the  methods  of  work  em- 
ployed by  libraries  in  their  efiforts  to  reach  the  schools  of 
their  cities.  To  be  effective  this  work  must  be  adapted  to 
the  peculiar  needs  and  conditions,  not  only  of  each  place, 
but  of  each  separate  school,  for  the  schools  of  a  single 
city  may  present  every  degree  of  advancement  from  the 
school  of  poor  equipment  and  worse  teaching  force,  to  that 
which  is  all  that  can  be  desired  in  the  excellency  of  its  man- 
agement and  in  its  equipment. 

Inasmuch  as  we  all  are  more  or  less  conversant  with 
these  orthodox  lines  of  work,  it  has  seemed  best  not  to  dis- 
cuss them  in  this  paper,  but  to  pass  on  to  the  general  educa- 
tional principles  that  are  the  basis  of  the  work  and  toward 
which  our  methods  should  tend.  What  are  the  boys  and 
girls,  especially  the  girls,  reading  besides  the  popular  new 
fiction  that  finds  its  way  into  their  homes  very  frequently 
from  the  counter  of  "latest  books"  in  the  department  store? 
It  is  true,  that  some  children  do  read  widely  and  well,  but  I 
refer  now  to  the  mass  of  children  who  are  in  the  library's 
sphere  of  influence  m  the  school.  Fiction  will  be  read,  girls 
oftimes  read  nothing  else,  but  shall  we  make  no  efifort  to 
develop  taste  for  aught  beyond  this?  Do  we  find  that  even 
a  small  proportion  of  school  children  leave  the  grade  schools 
with   any   real   decided   love    for   books   aside   from   a   good 


USE  OF  Rl'AL  LITERATURE  301 

story?  Not  that  this  love  of  a  good  story  is  to  he  (lecrie(l, 
hy  no  means  wouhl  we  be  so  understood.  Much  of  the  licst 
literature  for  children  is  fiction,  hut  are  we  doing  all  that 
can  be  done  during  the  formative  period  of  school  life  when 
conditions  present  the  best  opportunities  for  inlluciicing 
young  people? 

It  is  a  fact  that  since  this  library  has  i)ecn  working 
in  the  schools  pupils  of  the  fourth  and  fifth  grades  are  read- 
ing what  nine  years  ago  were  treasures  open  to  the  seventh 
and  eighth  grades.  When  boys  and  girls  reach  this  limit, 
what  are  we  to  give  them?  It  is  a  problem,  but  it  is  an 
inspiring  one.  Surely  we  are  reaping  the  harvest  of  years 
gone  by.  Scott,  Cooper,  Dickens,  Hawthorne.  Irving,  and 
the  poets  of  America;  these  have  been  called  for  during  the 
past  year  as  never  before.  Many  of  the  best  things  of  the 
English  poets  have  been  read,  though  there  yet  remains  the 
teacher  who  devotes  her  time  and  energy  to  "only  American 
books,  written  by  American  authors  born  on  American  soil, 
fired  with  American  fire,  and  kindled  by  American  oil  (petro- 
leum)." 

Juvenile  fiction  is  not  sufficient.  The  range  of  adult 
fiction  is  limited  and  the  feeling  grows  that  this,  probably, 
is  the  time  and  place  to  develop  and  secure  a  taste  for  biog- 
raphy, history,  travel,  and  poetry,  for  which,  alas,  so  few 
have  taste  and  inclination.  The  question  is,  is  the  library 
work  in  the  schools  accomplishing  for  these  upper  grades 
what  we  should  expect  in  view  of  the  definite  work  done  from 
the  primary  grade  through  the  entire  course?  Courses  of 
study  generally  require  several  poems  and  a  single  book  of 
the  representative  American  and  English  poets  and  authors. 
The  average  pupil  reads  these  because  he  must,  often  with 
little  interest  and  less  enjoyment.  It  is  a  part  of  the  woe 
to  be  endured  and  undergone  in  order  that  he  may  be  edu- 
cated. 

How  can  this  taste  for  literature  be  cultivated  except 
through  interest  and  where  can  such  interest  better  be 
awakened  than  in  the  classroom  where  history  is  studied, 
where  geography  must  be  taught  and  where,  alas,  with  all 
our  talk  of  methods,  too  often  is  committed  the  crime  of 
humdrum  recital  of  detail,  when  there  should  be  active  in- 


302  MARY  D.   McCURDY 

terest  and  wholesome  pleasure  which  tend  to  profit?  Pleasure 
and  profit  can  be  secured  through  the  intelligent  use  of 
library  books  of  travel,  stories  of  men  and  places,  biographies, 
and  histories  that  are  the  choicest  examples  of  literary  style, 
books  which  are  not  in  the  province  of  the  school  to  buy 
but  which  it  is  the  duty  of  the  library  to  provide  for  its 
reading  public;  biographies  and  essays,  political  speeches 
and  letters,  that  impress  the  personality  of  the  nation's  lead- 
ers and  give  breadth  of  knowledge  of  historical  and  geo- 
graphical facts,  and  most  important  of  all,  create  in  the 
minds  of  the  children,  an  earnest  desire  for  a  lively  apprecia- 
tion of  literature.  "Let  it  be  clearly  understood  that  this 
use  of  literature  is  not  to  take  the  place  of  the  actual  teach- 
ing of  the  truths  of  the  subjects  as  taught  by  text  books, 
but  that  there  may  be  introduced,  wherever  it  is  possible  in 
the  studies  of  the  course,  books  of  distinct  literary  merit 
which  bear  upon  the  subject,  these  to  be  used  entirely  for 
their  literary  value.  I  would  correlate  literature  with  every 
interest  of  the  child,  that  is,  wise  correlation  that  allows 
literature  to  be  treated  primarily  as  such  and  only  secondarily 
as  aiding  other  studies."  Some  one  says,  ''When  used  for 
literary  purposes  they  (the  works)  must  make  their  appeal 
to  the  imagination  and  the  sympathies.  Nothing  should  be 
done  to  weaken  or  destroy  these  effects."  I  do  not  mean  to 
use  Tennyson's  "Brook"  to  teach  geography  or  to  arouse 
geographical  interest,  but  I  would  teach  the  period  of  the 
civil  war  and  the  events  leading  up  thereto  from  the  biog- 
raphies of  Lincoln,  his  letters  and  addresses  and  state  papers, 
because  they  give  the  subject  vital  interest  and  at  the  same 
time  acquaint  the  students  with  literary  masterpieces.  I 
would  have  every  boy  and  girl  find  the  story  of  the  French 
and  Indian  war  as  thrilling  and  romantic  as  any  novel  and 
enable  him  to  share  his  delight  in  Cooper's  red  man  with 
Pontiac  and  "The  Oregon  trail."  A  teacher  recently  re- 
marked, "Parkman  is  attractive  to  seventh  and  eighth  grades. 
I  have  tried  it." 

Pupils   have   both   the   ability   and   the   interest   for   such 
work.     It  is  done  in  many  schools,  but  sad  to  say,  the  teacher 
of  one  text-book  is  yet  in  the  land.     The  library  in  the  school. 
has  the  opportunity  to  lay  the  foundation  of  such  character 


USE   OF   REAL    LITERATURE  .30.3 

tliat  it  will  bear  the  supcrstructurt.'  that  the-  man  may  wish  to 
build.  It  requires  pupils  of  ordinary  intelligence,  the  library 
books,  a  well  ordered  course  of  study  and  teachers  who 
know  and  love  good  literature.  When  credit  is  ^'iven  at 
school  for  books  read  in  connection  with  lessons,  an  ad- 
vance has  been  made  against  the  old  and  all  prevailing  no- 
tion that  studying  lessons  and  reading  books,  other  than 
text  books,  must  be  frowned  upon  by  the  zealous  teacher.  A 
list  of  books  asked  for  by  a  teacher  of  science,  includes 
Wordsworth's  Poems,  Burroughs'  "Ways  of  nature," 
Quayle's  "God's  out  of  doors,"  Torrey's  "A  rambler's  lease," 
Skinner's  "With  feet  to  earth,"  Mabie's  "Under  the  trees," 
"The  Kentucky  cardinal"  and  "Aftermath,"  "Little  rivers," 
"The  song  of  the  cardinal"  and  Thoreau's  "Walden,"  "Sum- 
mer" and  "Winter."  These  books  furnished  by  the  library 
are  intended  for  the  general  reading  of  the  class  in  connec- 
tion with  the  technical  work  and  the  pupils  read  them. 
Payne  in  his  recent  book  on  the  "Education  of  teachers," 
says,  "The  studies  whose  special  value  lies  in  the  fact  that 
they  are  catholic,  or  breadth-giving,  are  geography,  history 
and  literature,  hence,  the  teacher  who  would  endow  himself 
with  a  proper  frame  or  attitude  of  mind  should  addict  him- 
self in  an  especial  manner  to  these  three  subjects." 

Here  then,  is  the  place  for  our  strongest  effort,  to  aw^aken 
to  life  the  teacher  w^ho  neither  knows  nor  cares  to  know 
books,  least  of  all,  children's  books,  for  unfortunately  such 
teachers  do  cumber  the  ground.  I  believe  that  what  library 
work  with  schools  needs  most  of  all  is  the  active  interest 
of  the  individual  teacher  in  every  school.  It  is  not  sufficient 
for  a  teacher  to  know  about  books — she  must  know  the 
books. 

About  three  weeks  ago  a  teacher  requested  me  to  send 
her  story  books  for  her  pupils,  "not  histories  of  Ireland  and 
such."  For  two  years  past,  books  had  been  refused  by  this 
teacher  because  of  her  difficulty  in  taking  care  of  them.  She 
experienced  a  change  of  heart  because  in  an  examination 
asking  for  titles  of  books  that  were  desirable  to  read,  great 
was  her  dismay  to  find  that  names  of  books  had  been  in- 
vented by  those  boys  and  girls  who  read  nothing  and  hence 
knew  nothing  about  real   books.     The   nearest  approach   to 

20 


304  MARY  D.  McCURDY 

a  genuine  title  was  "Mrs  Wigg  and  the  cabbage."  I  am  of 
the  opinion  that  this  teacher  has  been  won  for  all  time  to 
the  library  cause.  A  writer  on  education  says,  "It  is  just  as 
important  for  the  teacher  to  know  the  educational  value  of 
literature  as  for  a  physician  to  know  the  therapeutic  value 
of  quinine.  Under  the  conception  that  education  is  a  process 
of  growth  taking  place  through  nurture  and  exercise,  studies 
become  food  and  discipline,  and  to  prescribe  them  wisely, 
one  needs  to  know  their  several  values." 

It  is  announced  as  the  aim  of  a  certain  high  school  in  its 
literary  course  to  read  for  pleasure  and  wide  acquaintance 
with  authors,  the  purpose  not  to  fix  a  pupil's  attention  upon 
details  of  style  but  to  broaden  his  knowledge  of  authors  and 
to  enlarge  his  enjoyment  of  books:  to  read  widely  and  swiftly, 
to  interest  him  in  literature.  Why  should  not  this  be  the  aim 
of  the  elementary  schools  in  the  study  of  English?  No  hard 
and  fast  line  can  be  drawn  between  works  especially  suited 
for  either  the  elementary  schools  or  the  high  schools.  We 
know  that  pupils  in  the  grades  read  early  in  their  course  the 
classics  required  in  college  entrance  examinations.  It  is 
this  wider  knowledge  of  literature  from  the  standpoint  of 
pleasure,  before  pupils  begin  the  critical  study  in  secondary 
schools,  that  we  should  seek  to  bring  about.  There  is  a  ten- 
dency to  fall  away  in  the  upper  grades  owing  to  pressure 
of  other  studies.  Inasmuch  as  the  excessive  demands  of  the 
college  entrance  examinations  in  foreign  languages  oblige 
a  large  proportion  of  students  in  secondary  schools  to  take 
a  modified  course  in  English,  is  it  not  possible  to  aid  the 
pupils  in  the  higher  grades  of  the  elementary  schools  to 
wider  acquaintance  with  the  best  books  and  their  authors? 
It  is  the  opinion  of  an  authority  on  English,  that  the  at- 
tempt to  reform  English  studies  has  begun  at  the  top. 
There  is  complaint  on  the  part  of  the  college  against  the 
high  school.  The  real  source  of  the  trouble  is  to  be  found 
in  the  primary  and  elementary  grades.  The  years  spent  in 
these  grades  are  vital  in  making  or  marring  a  child's  literary 
taste.  There  must  be  first,  appreciative  reading  which, 
through  sympathy,  will  bring  the  reader  into  closer  possible 
contact  with  the  mind  of  the  writer.  Later,  the  critical 
study;  but  without  the  former,  the  appreciation  of  literature 


USE  OF  Ri:.\I.   MTKKATURE  305 

will  be  formal  rather  than  genuine  and  vital.  It  is  a  mis- 
take to  substitute  the  remarks  of  critics  for  ac(|uaintancc 
with  the  works  themselves.  It  must  be  remembered  that 
the  large  proportion  of  students  do  not  enter  the  secondary 
schools,  hence,  it  is  imperative  that  the  widest  opportunity 
be  given  them  in  their  preparation  for  life  while  they  are 
in  the  elementary  school. 

Hear  what  prominent  educators  have  to  say  to  us.  "The 
uplifting  of  the  democratic  masses  depends  upon  the  im- 
planting at  schools  of  the  taste  for  good  reading."  "The  work 
in  each  grade  is  to  be  done  by  the  teacher  in  the  light  of  the 
course  as  a  whole  and  according  to  the  final  ends  aimed 
at."  "The  supreme  aim  of  literary  and  linguistic  training  is 
the  formation  of  character.  This  includes  and  transcends 
all  other  aims,  and  it  is  because  it  is  an  aim  which  can  be 
more  effectively  realized  by  Literature  and  Language  than 
by  any  other  study,  that  Literature  by  almost  common  con- 
sent must  hold  the  central  and  dominating  place  in  our 
school  curriculum."  "Make  happiness  one  of  the  distinct 
aims  of  education,  and  to  this  end  the  mind  must  be  sup- 
plied with  knowledge  which  will  yield  mental  satisfaction 
or  intellectual  delight."  "The  teacher  who  would  guide  her 
pupils  in  the  fields  of  literature,  must  herself  frequent  the 
paths  in  which  she  desires  other  feet  to  tread."  "Books 
well  chosen  are  next  in  importance  to  the  teacher  in  the 
equipment  of  the  school."  Our  books  then  are  secondary — 
the  sine  qua  non  is  the  teacher.  "How  can  an  inanimate  me- 
chanical gerund  grinder  foster  the  growth  of  anything;  much 
more  mind  which  grows,  not  like  a  vegetable  (by  having  its 
roots  littered  with  etymological  compost)  but  like  a  spirit; 
through  kindling  itself  at  the  fire  of  living  thought?  How 
shall  he  give  kindling  in  whose  inward  man  there  is  no  live 
coal  but  all  is  burnt  out  to  a  dead  grammatical  cinder?" 
Personal  work  with  teachers,  then,  is  the  essential  for  library 
success  in  the  schools.  To  keep  burning  the  live  coal,  as 
well  as  to  kindle  the  fire  that  burns  not.  No  one  needs  in- 
centive and  inspiration  more  than  the  teacher  who  is  zealous 
in  this  work.  It  is  ours  to  bring  to  him  all  that  we  can  to 
the  end  that  he  may  become  "noble  and  gracious,  the  friend 
of  truth,  justice,  courage,  temperance."     To  make  ourselves 


3o6  ^  MARY  D.  McCURDY 

familiar  with  the  work  of  teachers  and  to  be  conversant  with 
all  their  interests,  especially  along  professional  lines. 
Payne's  "Education  of  teachers,"  Chubb's  "The  Teaching 
of  English"  and  a  similar  book  by  Carpenter,  Baker  and 
Scott,  are  full  of  suggestions  to  one  who  is  engaged  in  work 
with  teachers.  To  put  ourselves  on  the  teacher's  side  is  to 
achieve  our  purpose.  To  make  each  teacher  through  a  lift- 
ing of  the  intelligent  horizon  "the  spectator  of  all  time  and 
of  all  existence"  that  through  his  zeal  in  learning  the  youth 
of  the  land  be  made  "curious  to  learn  and  never  satisfied." 
"There  is  an  old  Grecian  story  to  the  effect  that  the 
great  ones  of  a  certain  place  were  once  presenting  them- 
selves before  Zeus  that  the  greatest  one  should  be  crowned. 
In  the  company  that  had  assembled  to  witness  the  honor 
bestowed,  their  teacher  was  also  present  following  up  with 
interest  the  .fortunes  of  his  pupils.  To  the  surprise  of  all  and 
most  to  himself,  who  was  not  a  candidate  for  the  honor, 
Zeus  announced,  'Crown  the  faithful  teacher,  for  he  is  the 
greatest  of  all,  for  he  made  them  all  great.'"  Were  a  similar 
decision  to  be  made  to-day,  in  the  light  of  modern  methods 
of  education  would  not  the  all  wise  Zeus  bestow  the  laurel 
chaplet  upon  the  librarian,  for  he  is  making  possible  the 
teacher's  greatness? 


THE  LIBRARY  AS  A  REINFORCEMENT  OF  THE 
SCHOOL 

One  of  the  most  recent  discussions  of  this  subject 
treats  it  as  a  problem  of  reform  in  aids  and  methods  of 
reading  and  looks  upon  the  library's  part  in  the  two- 
fold effort  to  bring-  about  such  a  reform  as  essentially 
a  ''reinforcement"  of  the  school.  It  appeared  as  the 
leading  article  in  Public  Libraries,  April,  1911,  and  is  by 
Dr.  William  Dawson  Johnston,  then  librarian  of  Colum- 
bia University,  New  York. 

Dr.  Johnston  was  born  in  Essex  Center,  Xt.,  in  1871 
and  graduated  at  Brown  University  in  1893.  After  teach- 
ing first  in  the  University  of  Michigan  and  then  in  his 
alma  mater,  he  became  an  assistant  in  the  Library  of 
Congress,  and  was  the  Librarian  of  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of 
Education  until  1909  when  he  became  Librarian  of  Co- 
lumbia University,  New  York  City.  In  1914  he  accepted 
the  librarianship  of  the  Public  Library  of  St.  Paul,  Minn. 

One  of  our  most  eminent  critics,  Henry  Sedp:\vick.  said 
in  a  recent  essay  that  the  public  schools  and  our  general 
system  of  education  supply  the  conditions  that  make  a  read- 
ing mob  possible.  The  remark  is  true  enough  to  be  worthy 
of   careful   consideration. 

In  the  evolution  of  society  herds  of  men  liave  been  suc- 
ceeded by  mobs  of  men,  and  in  the  evc^luticm  of  the  mob 
the  shouting  mob  has  been  superseded  by  the  rcailing  mob. 
No  one  will,  I  think,  question  that  this  change  has  been  in 
the  direction  of  progress,  and  few  will  question  seriously  the 


3o8  WILLIAM  DAWSON  JOHNSTON 

possibility  of  further  progress.  The  reading  mob  may  grad- 
ually be  organized  into  societies  of  thoughtful  men,  mindful, 
on  the  one  hand,  of  the  best  traditions  of  human  culture,  and 
on  the  other  hand  open  to  the  latest  revelations  of  science. 
From  a  certain  point  of  view,  then,  our  problems  of  edu- 
cational reform  seem  to  resolve  themselves  into  problems 
of  reform  in  aims  and  methods  of  reading,  and  a  new  sig- 
nificance attaches  to  the  place  of  literature  among  instru- 
ments of  culture  and  to  the  library  among  institutions  of 
learning. 

VALUE   OF   GENERAL   READING 

In  the  first  place,  it  seems  to  me,  we  must  disabuse  our- 
selves of  the  notion  that  the  mastery  of  a  few  standard  books 
is  all  that  is  essential  to  culture.  This  was  in  a  measure  true 
when  science  was  still  in  its  infancy  and  literature  was 
philosophical  or  didactic,  but  now  that  it  is  scientific  or  de- 
scriptive the  idea  is  most  untrue.  Another  notion  which  is 
productive  of  mischief  is  that  books  may  be  divided  into  two 
kinds:  the  literature  of  knowledge  and  the  literature  of 
power,  the  one  class  being  exclusive  of  the  other.  Those  who 
would  cultivate  science  for  science's  sake,  and  those  who 
would  cultivate  literature  for  literature's  sake,  may  consent 
to  such  a  classification;  but  those  who  value  books  for  their 
use  know  that  the  literature  of  knowledge  is  more  powerful 
than  anyone  can  estimate,  and  that  the  literature  of  power 
contains  knowledge  of  the  utmost  value.  In  place,  then,  of 
the  reading  of  a  few  books  I  would  urge  the  reading  of  many, 
and  in  place  of  the  reading  of  one  book  for  knowledge  and 
another  for  pleasure  I  would  urge  the  reading  of  those  books 
of  knowledge  which  give  most  pleasure.  In  other  words,  I 
would  urge  the  importance  of  general  reading,  and  such 
changes  in  methods  of  reading  as  will  make  general  reading 
possible. 

The  value  of  books  has  always,  I  believe,  been  over- 
estimated, but  the  value  of  the  right  reading  of  books  has 
always  been  underestimated.  It  is  only  as  we  learn  to  read 
that  books  gain  real  value,  and  it  is  only  as  we  learn  to  read 
them  with  discrimination  and  rapidity  that  their  value  to  us 
becomes  considerable.  The  illiterates  are,  indeed,  little 
poorer    than    those    who    are    debauched    by    indiscriminate 


REINFORCEMENT  OF  THE  SCHOOL  309 

reading,  or  those  who  are  content  with  a  few  fra^Mncnts  of 
the  literature  of  the  wfjrld.  The  failure  of  the  lihrary  has 
been  in  allowing  too  much  license  in  the  use  of  its  collec- 
tions and  in  requiring  little  except  the  return  of  the  books. 
The  failure  of  the  school  has  been  in  attempting  to  exact 
the  impossible  from  readers  and  after  a  few  years'  efforts 
abandoning  them  altogether;  in  undertaking  detailed  and, 
to  the  majority,  distasteful  studies  of  a  few  standard  works, 
and  in  making  of  reading  a  vocal  exercise  instead  of  a  mental 
one.  In  short,  the  library  lacks  teachers  and  the  teachers 
lack  libraries.  How  can  the  two  be  brought  together?  How 
can  the  one  be  put  in  position  to  supply  what  is  lacking  in  the 
other?  How  can  the  library  reinforce  the  school,  and  the 
school   reinforce   the   library? 

In  the  discussion  of  this  question  wc  must  first  of  all 
recognize  that  the  library  is  an  integral  part  of  the  educa- 
tional system — not  an  adjunct  of  the  school  merely,  but  a 
necessary  complement  of  it.  The  school  stands  for  the 
acquisition  of  knowledge  in  special  subjects;  the  library  fi)r 
the  rounding  out  of  this  knowledge.  The  school  library  fur- 
nishes the  collateral  reading  of  earlier  years;  the  community 
library  furnishes   the   reading  of  later  years. 

COLLATERAL    READING 

The  work  of  our  earlier  schools  was  based  upon  the 
classics  in  literature  and  textbooks  in  science.  The  artificial 
protection  thus  given  to  the  classics  has  been  withdrawn. 
We  now  recognize  that  the  classics  are  not  all  that  is  neces- 
sary to  life  and  that  great  books  are  not  the  only  good  ones. 
With  the  rapid  development  of  science,  too,  the  textbook 
is  being  superseded  by  the  lecture  and  the  laboratory.  .At 
the  same  time,  both  in  the  study  of  literature  and  in  the 
study  of  science,  we  are  recognizing  the  need  of  supplemen- 
tary reading.  The  doles  which  we  hand  out  in  the  class- 
room we  find  may  pauperize  the  pupil,  not  enrich  him.  We 
may  give  him  learning,  but  we  must,  we  have  decided,  cul- 
tivate in  him  the  ability  to  learn.  The  common  school  j 
studies  represent  only  a  part,  though  perhaps  an  important  j 
part,  of  the  commonwealth  of  literature  and  science.  Pupils  . 
must  be  made  aware  of  the  vast  realms  of  knowledge  which 


310  WILLIAM   DAWSON  JOHNSTON 

have  not  been  made  common  property,  they  must  be  en- 
couraged to  explore  these  realms  and  make  them  their  own. 
They  cannot  do  this  alone,  nor  can  their  teachers  travel  very 
far  with  them.  Their  guides  must  be  books,  and  he  is  the 
best  explorer  who  knows  best  how  to  employ  those  guides. 
For  this  reason  the  use  of  public  libraries  by  school  children 
and  the  establishment  of  libraries  in  school  buildings  is  en- 
couraged and  instruction  in  reading,  in  science  and  in  liter- 
ature takes  more  and  more  the  form  of  instruction  in  the 
use  of  books. 

VACATION  READING 

But  while  we  have  pretty  well  defined  the  place  of  books 
in  our  school  work  and  have  recognized  the  importance  of 
collateral  reading  in  classroom  study,  we  do  not  seem  to  have 
appreciated  fully  the  importance  of  the  elective  courses  in 
reading  pursued  at  home  during  vacations,  on  holidays,  and 
at  other  times.  These  supplement  in  a  notable  manner  the 
required  reading  of  the  school. 

In  the  choice  of  our  textbooks  and  in  our  collateral 
reading  we  have  been  influenced  by  the  immediate  demands 
of  society  and  by  the  spirit  of  specialization.  The  test  of  our 
ability  has  been  our  success  in  becoming  acquainted  with 
the  traditions  and  customs  of  society  and  in  satisfying  its 
wants,  and  schools  have  been  esteemed  in  as  far  as  they 
have  furthered  success  in  these  particulars. 

But  the  need  of  the  individual,  especially  during  the 
earlier  years  of  life,  must  be  considered  also.  We  should 
not  be  made  to  conform  by  process  of  inquisition  or  drill, 
nor  should  we  be  converted  into  specialists  before  we  have 
reached  years  of  discretion.  The  individual  must  be  al- 
lowed to  find  his  place  in  society  for  himself,  and  there  is 
hardly  any  better  way  for  him  to  find  himself  and  his  own 
world  than  in  those  general  excursions  among  books  which 
are  possible  during  vacations  and  holidays.  Then  one  is  no 
longer  obliged  to  keep  step  with  others  of  his  own  class. 
He  may  follow  heroes  in  their  adventures,  and  in  company 
with  the  world's  discoverers  may  pass  beyond  the  frontiers 
of  the  known  world  into  the  mysterious  regions  of  the  un- 
known. It  is  in  the  hours  thus  spent  that  the  reader,  the 
younger  reader  as  well  as  the  older  one,  becomes  acquainted 


REINFORCEMENT  OF  THE  SCHOOL  311 

with  the  substantial,  though  intangible,  benefits  of  general 
reading,  hears  the  things  most  worth  hearing,  and  sees  the 
things  most  worth  seeing. 

This  general  reading  of  school  children  presents  a  nota- 
ble opportunity  for  co-operation  between  school  and  library. 
The  school  is  interested  in  it  not  merely  for  its  educational 
value,  but  because  of  its  relation  to  some  of  the  problems  of 
school  organization  and  administration.  Of  these  problems 
one  of  the  most  serious  in  the  large  schools  is  the  crowded 
curriculum.  This  involves  child  labor  of  a  deplorable  type, 
leads  to  mechanical  work  on  the  part  of  the  pupil  rather  than 
intellectual  work,  and  develops  the  power  to  acquire,  but  not 
to  do.  Some  of  the  subjects  should  be  transferred  from  the 
course  of  study  and  incorporated  in  courses  of  reading.  \Vc 
may  in  this  way  secure  some  of  the  advantages  which  come 
from  a  combined  system  of  required  and  elective  studies  in 
the  higher  schools,  some  of  the  advantages  which  obtain  in 
the  pass  and  honor  examinations  in  England. 

In  the  smaller  schools,  on  the  other  hand,  the  problem 
is  of  the  opposite  kind.  There  there  are  not  teachers  and 
courses  enough.  A  recent  report  of  the  United  States  Com- 
missioner of  Education  shows  that  one-third  of  the  high 
school  pupils  in  the  United  States  are  in  schools  having  not 
more  than  three  teachers,  and  in  the  majority  of  elementary 
schools  there  is  not  more  than  one  teacher.  In  such  schools 
as  these  the  library  must  certainly  be  made  an  important 
adjunct  to  the  other  activities   of  the   school. 

But,  however  much  we  are  embarrassed  by  the  fullness 
of  our  course  of  study  in  some  places  and  by  its  poverty 
in  others,  the  fundamental  problem  in  all  our  schools  is  that 
of  humanizing  our  studies.  It  is  only  as  they  subserve  the 
ends  of  social  or  moral  education  that  schools  justify  their 
maintenance  as  public  institutions.  And  here  again  the 
library  proves  a  useful  ally,  for  in  it  may  be  found  recorded 
not  merely  the  thoughts  and  deeds  of  great  men,  fragmentary 
and  disjointed,  but  the  whole  story  of  their  lives:  there  may 
be  discovered  the  halo  of  romance  which  shines  over  every 
man;  there  may  be  read  the  words  loyalty,  honor,  courtesy, 
love.  These  are  no  textbook  terms,  but  they  have  their 
value,  for  words  are  powerful  makers  of  what  they  stand  for. 


312  WILLIAM  DAWSON  JOHNSTON 

Whether,  then,  one  considers  the  relation  of  the  library 
to  the  extent  of  the  course  of  study  or  to  its  content,  one  is 
disposed  to  believe  that  the  work  of  the  schools  may  be 
enriched  as  much  by  a  well-organized  library  service  as  by 
the  improvement  of  the  teachers  and  teaching  processes  or 
by  additions  to  the  course  of  study  or  the  reorganization  of  it. 

SCHOOL      EXTENSION 

A  second  notable  opportunity  for  co-operation  between 
school  and  library  is  presented  by  the  various  forms  of  con- 
tinuation schools  and  classes.  It  has  been  estimated  that 
in  cities  of  25,000  and  over  in  this  country  about  40  per 
cent  only  remain  in  school  until  they  enter  the  eighth  grade, 
and  about  8  per  cent  only  finish  the  high  school  course.  As 
long  as  this  is  true  auxiliary  educational  agencies  are  of  the 
greatest  importance,  and  among  these  agencies  none,  in  my 
opinion,  may  be  made  of  greater  importance  than  the  library. 
By  the  library  here  I  mean  the  institution  and  not  merely 
the  collection  of  books.  If  our  education  were  complete 
when  we  leave  school,  a  collection  of  books  to  which  we 
might  refer  and  from  which  we  might  borrow  would  be  suffi- 
cient. But  as  it  is  the  library  service  is  far  more  important 
than  the  books.  There  cannot  be  a  library  without  a  li- 
brarian, and  there  cannot  be  a  good  library  without  many 
library  assistants.  The  older  community  and  school  libraries 
were  unsuccessful  simply  because  of  the  failure  to  recognize 
this  fact,  and  we  to-day  will  fail  to  make  libraries  true  insti- 
tutions of  learning  wherever  and  whenever  we  neglect  to 
provide  adequate  library  service.  The  library  cannot  under 
the  most  favorable  circumstances  take  the  place  of  the  col- 
lege, nor  can  it  even  take  the  place  of  the  high  school,  but  it 
should  be  so  organized  as  to  help  those  who  are  unable  to 
attend  college  or  high  school,  and,  indeed,  all  those  who 
wish  to  continue  their  studies  after  school. 

COORDINATION  OF  SCHOOL  AND  LIBRARY 

The  earlier  public  libraries  devoted  much  of  their  energy 
to  work  with  children,  but  more  recently  they  have  attempted 
to  meet  the  demands  of  the  young  artisan  also,  the  business 
man,  and  the  farmer.     The  public  library  is  in  this  way  be- 


REINFORCEMENT  OI-   TFIE  S(Mir)OL 


.V3 


coming  as  significant  a  part  of  the  educational  system  as 
the  school  library  is  of  the  school  system.  There  is  no  ques- 
tion as  to  the  tendency  in  this  direction  and  its  importance; 
there  is  a  question,  however,  whether  this  multiplication  of 
library  duties  docs  not  make  co-ordination  between  school 
and  library  more  necessary  and  cooperation  between  teachers 
and  librarians  more  desirable.  Without  careful  organization 
of  our  educational  activity  our  school  duties  may  lead  us  to 
neglect  our  library  opportunities,  and,  on  the  other  hand, 
our  liljrary  privileges  may  be  exercised  at  the  expense  of 
fundamental  training.  An  effort  must  be  made,  therefore, 
to  regulate  each — the  work  of  the  school  and  the  work  of 
the   library. 

The  regulation  of  the  work  of  the  school  has  occupied 
much  thought.  The  regulation  of  the  work  of  the  library 
is  of  no  less  importance;  indeed,  it  is  of  perhaps  greater 
importance,  because  it  is  for  the  most  part  done  by  persons 
without  pedagogical  training  or  experience.  For  this  reason 
it  is  desirable  that  the  superintendent  of  schools  should  be 
a  member  of  the  board  of  library  trustees,  and  the  librarian 
a  member  of  the  school  board.  It  is  desirable  that  librarians 
should  be  active  in  the  service  of  the  schools  and  teachers 
active  in  the  service  of  the  libraries.  It  is  desirable  that  the 
library  collection  should  be  carried  to  schools  and  the  school 
children  brought  to  the  libraries.  And,  to  mention  one  other 
matter  only,  it  is  desirable  that  pupils  should  receive  credit 
for  library  work,  whether  done  in  the  school,  or  in  the  read- 
ing circle,  or  elsewhere. 

But  educational  legislation  which  shall  embrace  the  li- 
brary as  well  as  the  school  is  not  enough.  There  must  also 
be  library  training — library  training  not  only  for  librarians, 
but  also  for  the  teachers.  The  state  of  New  York  was  the 
first  to  provide  in  any  way  for  the  training  of  librarians,  and 
public  libraries  throughout  the  country  have  felt  the  influence 
of  its  library  school.  But  school  libraries  also  require  skilled 
supervision  and  use,  especially  in  communities  where  there 
are  no  public  libraries.  Obviously,  then,  the  next  step  is  to 
provide  for  library  instruction  in  the  normal  schools.  The 
need  of  such  instruction  is  great;  the  results  of  it  would  be 
incalculable. 


SOME  OLD  FORGOTTRX  SCHOOL  LlIlkAKI  l«:S 

This  collection  of  material  may  fittingly  ciiil  with  a 
paper  tracing-  hack  some  of  the  heginnings  of  the  school 
library  to  the  early  days  of  the  last  century.  The  author, 
Elizabeth  G.  Baldwin,  contributed  it  to  The  Library  Jour- 
nal in  1904. 

Elizabeth  G.  Baldwin  graduated  from  the  New  Jersey 
State  Normal  School  in  1883  and  from  the  Columbia 
University  (afterward  New  York  State)  Library  School 
in  1889.  She  was  librarian  of  the  Huguenot  Society 
in  1889-'94,  reviser  in  Columbia  University  cataloguing 
department  in  1889-'96  and  has  been  at  the  head  of  the 
Bryson  Library  of  Teachers'  College,  New  York,  since 
1896.  She  has  lectured  on  library  economy  at  several 
institutions  and  has  held  office  in  the  State  Library  As- 
sociation and  the  New  York  Library  Club  at  various 
times,  serving  as  president  of  the  latter  body  in  1909-'10. 

"Those  authors  therefore  arc  to  be  read  at  school  that 
supply  most  axioms  of  prudence,  most  principles  of  moral 
truth  and  most  materials  for  conversation,  and  these  pur- 
poses are  best  served  by  poets,  orators  and  historians." — Dr. 
Johnson. 

Many  suggestive  and  interesting  statements  have  been 
made  at  various  times  concerning  various  kinds  of  school 
libraries,  but  there  is  one  type  which,  in  my  opinion,  has 
not  attracted  the  attention  it  deserves. 

In  tracing  the  origin  and  gradual  development  of  the 
library  which  is  found  in  many  of  our  public  schools  and 
also  in  our  best  private  schools  of  to-day,  with  its  fine  equip- 
ment of  from  eight  to  ten  thousand  volumes  representing  the 


3i6  ELIZABETH  G.  BALDWIN 

best  and  most  modern  literature  in  all  departments  of  knowl- 
edge, one  cannot  overlook  the  fact  that  this  had  its  begin- 
ning away  back  in  the  early  part  of  the  nineteenth  century, 
in  the  old-fashioned  academy.  "A  literary  and  scientific  in- 
stitute for  both  sexes,"  a  female  seminary,  or  a  plain  Latin 
school  were  the  terms  used  to  designate  the  same  kind  of 
an  educational  institution,  a  finishing  school,  so  to  speak, 
where  the  budding  youth  was  carried  along  in  the  common 
branches  of  learning  a  little  further  than  could  be  attempted 
in  the  rural  schools  of  that  time. 

The  statistics  and  other  facts  mentioned  in  this  article 
concerning  these  academic  libraries  were  gleaned  from  the 
school  catalogs  covering  a  period  extending  from  1825  to 
1865. 

These  old  catalogs  furnish  extremely  interesting  read- 
ing and  a  few  quotations  from  them  may  serve  to  throw  light 
on  the  general  character  of  these  institutions  and  call  atten- 
tion to  a  phraseology  that  seems  odd  when  compared  with 
the  twentieth  century  mode  of  expression.  The  academy  was 
a  place  where  "the  instructors  endeavored  to  watch  over  the 
morals  of  their  pupils  with  parental  solicitude  and  strove  to 
inculcate  the  principles  of  polite  deportment."  In  the  con- 
stitution of  one  of  these  schools  the  principal  is  enjoined  to 
teach  the  English,  Latin  and  Greek  languages  and  liberal 
arts,  also  "To  delineate  in  their  natural  colors  the  deformity 
and  odiousness  of  vice  and  the  beauty  and  amiableness  of 
virtue."  The  discipline  was  invariably  stated  to  be  mild  but 
firm,  "It  being  considered  the  certainty  rather  than  the 
severity  of  punishment  that  deters  from  crime."  It  was 
the  day  when  the  female  seminary  flourished.  The  young 
women  were  instructed  in  English,  mathematics,  chronology, 
exegesis,  the  art  of  making  and  mending  pens  and  other 
branches  of  polite  learning;  but  all  these  were  subordinated 
to  what  was  termed  the  ornamental  branches,  which  included 
vocal  music,  oil,  bronze,  Grecian  and  Oriental  painting,  black 
and  polychromatic  crayoning,  India  ink  and  pencil  drawing, 
water  colors,  wax  fruit  and  flowers,  inlaying  pearl  and  pellis 
work,  each  $5  extra.  In  the  words  of  one  catalog  "The  fe- 
male department  of  this  institution  is  designed  to  at  once 
strengthen   and   expand   the   mind   and   prepare   it   for   future 


SOME  OLD   SCI1(J(M.   Ur.KAKII'.S  317 

usefulness  with  the  branches  of  refined  and  ornamental  edu- 
cation which  are  the  chief  embellishments  of  the  sex  and 
to  encourage  those  virtues  which  peculiarly  adorn  the  female 
character.''  ^^^ 

Battle-door  and  cornclla,  the  1  rn  nr"'^|ifiTlT^i  ii|ii  and 
the  swing  were  the  feminine  recreations  indulged  in.  "While 
to  those  who  dislike  these  modes  of  exercise,  the  occasional 
ride  and  ramble  present  their  inducements."  In  addition  to 
these  amusements  maj-  be  mentioned  the  excitement  of  the 
weekly  meetings  of  the  literary  and  debating  societies,  of 
which  each  school  boasted  one  or  two  and  which  usually 
published  a  periodical  called  the  Lesbian  7vrcath,  the  Institute 
omnibus,  or  some  such  fanciful  title.  In  those  days  the  school 
year  was  long,  the  vacation  short  and  holidays  few  and  far 
between.  As  in  our  modern  schools,  not  only  manners  and 
morals  were  looked  after,  but  even  the  matter  of  costume 
was  sometimes  prescribed.  In  one  "Female  institute"  the 
inmates  were  expected  to  wear  in  winter  for  Sunday  a  dress 
of  purple  merino  with  white  collar  and  white  pantalets  and 
Leghorn  bonnet  trimmed  with  scarlet.  In  summer  a  robe 
of  white  wMth  white  collar  and  pantalets  and  bonnet  trimmed 
with  sky  blue.  Jewelry  and  embroideries  were  prohibited, 
in  order  "To  diminish  expense  and  restrain  the  ambition  of 
extravagant  display."  Frequently  a  solemn  warning  is  sent 
to  the  fond  parent  who  supplies  his  offspring  with  pocket 
money  and  boxes  of  sweetmeats.  "Boxes  of  indigestion," 
as  one  principal  puts  it.  and  says  further  in  vigorous  de- 
nunciation of  this  reprehensible  indulgence  on  the  part  of 
his  pupils,  "The  trick  of  buying  cake  and  candy  is  in  the 
first  place  vulgar,  and  in  the  second,  vicious.  It  costs  more 
in  headache  (to  speak  of  no  other  aches)  than  all  things  be- 
sides. It  subordinates  the  intellectual  to  the  animal.  It 
keeps  children  babies."  Another  sorely  tried  master  has 
still  stronger  opinions  on  the  subject.  He  says:  "The  mid- 
night oil  if  employed  to  shed  light  on  the  classic  or  historic 
page  will  do  but  a  trifle  toward  wasting  the  muscle  com- 
pared with  its  effects  when  it  shines  upon  mince  pies,  oyster 
stews   or  candied   confections." 

Having  taken  this  superficial  survey  of  some  of  the 
features  of  the  old  time  academy,  Revenons  a  nos  moutons. 


3i8  ELIZABETH  G.  BALDWIN 

In  a  recent  work  on  some  of  our  best  known  secondary 
schools,  the  gymnasium,  chapel,  dining  hall  and  dormitory 
are  fully  described,  while  no  attention  whatever  is  paid  to 
the  library.  In  the  same  manner,  in  the  early  catalogs  of 
these  schools  the  library  is  either  slighted  or  ignored  al- 
together. The  school  announcement  of  to-day  devotes  a 
generous  portion  of  its  contents  to  a  description  of  the  li- 
brary, accompanied  by  one  or  more  illustrations.  In  the 
old  catalog,  however,  it  is  necessary  to  exercise  considerable 
patience  and  ingenuity  to  discover  any  mention  whatsoever 
of  this  department  of  the  institution.  Sometimes  it  occupies 
a  paragraph  by  itself  in  very  fine  print  in  the  back  of  the 
catalog,  but  more  frequently  it  is  listed  among  numerous 
other  advantages  and  special  attractions,  such  as  chemical 
and  philosophical  apparatus,  maps,  charts,  globes,  minerals, 
petrifactions,  manikins,  artificial  skeletons,  air  pumps  and 
other  facilities  offered  to  the  youthful  mind  in  pursuit  of 
knowledge.  In  one  catalog  a  "choice  library"  is  thought- 
lessly deposited  among  thirteen  pianos,  two  melodeons,  one 
organ  and  a  cabinet  of  geological  specimens.  When  deemed 
of  sufficient  worth  to  call  for  special  mention,  the  library 
is  disposed  of  in  such  brief  terms  as  "The  academic  library 
is  of  much  value.  The  books  are  in  good  condition,"  or  we 
are  informed  that  "The  library  is  fitted  up  in  chaste  and 
elegant  style  in  a  room  51x34  ft." 

None  of  the  earlier  catalogs  are  illustrated,  and  in  one 
only  of  the  several  hundred  examined  was  found  a  picture 
of  the  library,  which  in  this  case  bore  a  regrettable  re- 
semblance to  a  museum,  with  the  inevitable  mummy  and 
other  relics  of  a  bygone  age.  The  room  must  have  exerted 
a  most  depressing  effect  upon  all  who  had  the  temerity  to 
enter  it. 

The  rules  and  regulations  governing  the  use  of  the  books 
were  not  as  liberal  as  in  these  days.  In  one  institution  the 
students  could  draw  books  on  alternate  Fridays,  when  the 
library  was  open  from  8:30  to  9  o'clock  in  the  morning  for 
the  return  of  books  and  from  3  to  3:30  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon for  taking  them  out.  Students  who  had  any  demerit 
marks  or  had  not  been  punctual  in  attendance  were  deprived 
of    the    privileges    of    the    library.      Teachers    had    access    at 


SOME  OLD   SCHOOL  Lir.RARILS  319 

all  times  and  could  keep  books  out  two  weeks.  Li  another 
school,  books  could  l)e  drawn  from  i  to  2  o'clock  every  Sat- 
urday afternoon.  In  another,  the  library  was  accessible  to 
students  once  each  week  and  a  charge  of  twenty-five  cents 
for  the  term  was  paid  by  those  who  wished  the  privilege 
of  taking  books  to  their  rooms,  while  "'no  charge  is  made 
for  access   to   encyclopedias." 

One  institute  rejoices  in  "A  reading  room  receiving  va- 
rious papers  of  a  literary,  political  and  religious  character 
open  to  students  by  paying  one  shilling  per  quarter." 

Another  had  a  reading  room  which  contained  daily 
and  weekly  papers  and  magazines  for  the  use  of  which  a 
tax  of  fifty  cents  a  year  is  exacted  from  each  student.  Sev- 
eral years  later  this  tax  was  increased  to  one  dollar  "as  there 
is  no  other  library  fund."  In  another  school,  students  could 
take  out  books  every  Friday  afternoon  and  precedence  in 
choice  is  in  accordance  with  their  relative  scholarship  during 
the  week.  Only  in  rare  cases  were  the  libraries  open  oftener 
than  once  a  week. 

As  no  definite  income  was  provided  for  the  support  of 
these  libraries,  their  growth  was  uncertain  and  irregular. 
In  one  school  a  small  fine  was  imposed  for  any  infringement 
of  the  rules  or  any  breach  of  good  order  in  the  class  room 
and  the  fine  was  appropriated  to  increase  the  facilities  of 
the  reading  room.  This  would  seem  to  be  a  case  when  it 
was  clearly  justifiable  ''to  do  evil  that  good  may  come."  A 
general  statement  w^as  frequently  made  that  "The  library 
and  apparatus  will  be  increased  from  time  to  time"  without 
specifying  ways  and  means.  One  catalog  gives  the  number 
of  volumes  in  the  library  and  states  that  "Additions  are 
made  yearly;"  but  for  twenty-three  years  the  same  number 
of  books  is  recorded,  which  would  lead  to  the  inference  that 
the  library  statistics  were  not  quite  accurate  or  that  a  most 
unusual  and  commendable  weeding  out  process  was  insti- 
tuted each  year.  One  school  has  "a  small  library  which 
occasionally  receives  accessions  from  a  few  generous  don- 
ors." Another  catalog  states  that  "Donations  to  our  library 
are  very  acceptable."  In  another,  "New  and  rare  books  se- 
lected with  great  care  are  added  each  year"  and  "An  encyclo- 
pedia   and    scientific    books    were    given    by    friends."      One 

21 


320  -       ELIZABETH  G.  BALDWIN 

enterprising  principal  devised  the  ingenious  method  of  found- 
ing a  library  for  his  pupils  by  asking  them  to  lay  aside  for 
a  week  their  candy  money  and  apply  it  to  the  purchase  of 
books.  He  considered  this  a  far  better  way  than  spending 
it  for  sweetmeats.  Sometimes  as  a  reward  he  read  aloud 
to  his  pupils  the  books  thus  purchased.  In  the  constitution 
dated  1778  of  one  of  our  most  famous  secondary  schools, 
after  specific  directions  given  to  the  trustees  as  to  their 
powers  and  duties,  the  branches  to  be  taught  are  enumerated. 
The  master  is  then  enjoined  to  give  special  attention  to  the 
health  of  the  scholars  and  to  inculcate  habits  of  industry 
by  encouraging  manual  labor,  gardening,  etc.,  "So  far  as 
it  is  consistent  with  the  cleanliness  and  the  inclination  of 
their  parents."  The  fruit  of  their  labor  "Shall  be  applied 
at  the  discretion  of  the  trustees  for  procuring  a  library  or  in 
some  other  way  increasing  the  usefulness  of  this  seminary." 
Thus  early  in  our  educational  history  were  the  practical  re- 
sults of  manual  training  and  the  desirability  of  a  school 
library  recognized. 

The  collections  of  the  library  were  often  supplemented 
in  various  ways.  In  most  of  the  schools  one  or  more  literary 
societies  flourished,  and  these  possessed  libraries  and  read- 
ing rooms  which  were  accessible  to  the  members.  An  insti- 
tution which  is  described  as  "a  safe  retreat  for  virtuous 
young  men  and  women"  maintained  two  literary  societies 
which  had  well  selected  libraries.  Another  school  where 
"as  many  as  forty  pious  students  of  the  various  religious 
denominations  have  been  at  one  time"  offers  the  use  of  the 
well  selected  libraries  of  two  literary  societies  and  "a  neatly 
furnished  hall  supplied  with  literary  periodicals."  The 
president  of  one  school  states  that  his  private  library  is 
accessible  to  the  pupils.  Sometimes  collateral  reading  was 
■encouraged  by  requesting  students  to  bring  with  them  from 
home  such  histories  as  they  possessed,  also  standard  poetic 
works,  concordances,  commentaries,  atlases,  both  celestial 
and  terrestrial,  scientific  works,  etc.  The  means  for  making 
accessions  to  the  library,  then,  were  largely  through  gifts 
and  by  fees  of  twenty-five  or  fifty  cents  a  year  charged  on 
the  school  bill  among  the  extras,  and  reading  facilities  were 
increased  by  the  use  of  the  society  libraries  and  by  the  few 


SOME  OLD   SCHOOL  LIP.RARIt:S  321 

books  which  the  pupils  were  able  to  bring  from  home.  In 
one  institution  in  order  to  encourage  a  generous  impulse 
toward  the  library  on  the  part  of  such  pupils  as  owned  books 
they  are  told,  as  a  bait,  that  if  they  choose  to  donate  to  the 
library  a  book  or  books  of  standard  character  of  the  value 
of  one  dollar  their  names  shall  be  inserted  in  the  books  and 
they  will  be  preserved  as  a  memorial  in  the  years  to  come. 
The  size  of  these  libraries  varies  from  250  to  6000  volumes, 
and  nothing  can  better  express  the  benign  attitude  of  the 
teachers  toward  them  or  the  estimate  in  which  they  were 
held  than  further  quotations  from  the  school  prospectus.  It 
is  said  of  a  librar}^  containing  several  hundred  volumes, 
"among  all  the  means  of  culture  and  refinement  afforded  to 
schools  none  should  be  more  appreciated  than  this  rare  and 
costly  collection."  One  institute  boasts  of  a  small  library 
for  Sunday  reading,  "not  only  good  books,  but  such  good 
books  as  will  be  read."  In  regard  to  the  character  of  the 
libraries  we  find  that  nearly  all  contained  cyclopedias,  and 
standard  works  in  history,  science,  philology,  mental  and 
moral  philosophy,  biography  and  general  literature.  In  one 
school  the  books  were  selected  with  reference  to  the  needs 
of  the  instructors,  whose  aim  it  was  to  teach  their  pupils 
how  to  use  a  library.  In  another  school  the  library  had 
been  selected  with  great  care  and  afforded  every  opportunit}' 
for  literary  culture.  In  many  cases  the  library  is  described 
as  "respectable,"  "useful,"  "miscellaneous,"  "appropriate  for 
purposes  of  reference  and  perusal." 

Reading  rooms  were  also  maintained,  either  separately 
or  as  part  of  the  library,  and  these  were  supplied  with  daily, 
weekly  and  monthly  papers,  both  secular  and  religious.  The 
pupils  of  one  school  were  not  permitted  to  read  any  news- 
papers except  those  on  file  in  the  library,  nor  allowed  any 
books  in  their  possession  except  the  Bible  and  Prayer-book. 
That  habits  of  good  reading  were  encouraged  among  pupils 
in  those  days  we  have  indisputable  evidence  in  a  list  of 
prizes  given  at  the  end  of  the  year.  A  papier  mache  watch 
stand  was  presented  for  excellence  in  Latin  recitation,  a 
basket  of  wax  fruit  for  English  studies,  while  a  complete 
set  of  Shakespeare  was  awarded  for  meritorious  work  in 
composition. 


2,22  ^     ELIZABETH  G.  BALDWIN 

The  attitude  of  the  scholastic  mind  toward  reading  and 
books  may  be  judged  still  further  from  the  following  state- 
ment copied  from  a  catalog  dated  1853:  "Though  larger  li- 
braries in  colleges  are  of  no  great  value  to  the  pupils  who 
have  not  or  ought  not  to  have  much  time  for  promiscuous 
reading  which,  in  proportion  to  its  extent,  detracts  from  the 
success  and  value  of  the  daily  recitations,  an  assortment  of 
books,  if  judicious,  is  important."  In  another  catalog,  dated 
1834,  we  read:  "A  library  is  another  species  of  furniture 
necessary  to  the  success  of  a  literary  institution.  This  in 
colleges  is  always  admitted,  but  in  academies,  though  such 
extensive  collections  of  books  are  not  needed,  yet  to  some 
extent  they  are  equally  indispensable.  Works  of  reference 
.  .  .  together  with  a  selection  in  history  and  general  lit- 
erature at  least,  should  be  furnished  for  the  benefit  of  teach- 
ers and  students.  ...  A  good  library  not  only  gives  a 
character  to  an  institution  but  furnishes  the  means  and  oper- 
ates as  a  stimulus  upon  the  student  in  the  acquisition  of 
knowledge."  Another  catalog  states  that  "it  has  a  large 
and  well  selected  library  free  of  charge  to  all  students  who 
may  thus  employ  spare  moments  otherwise  wasted  and  thus 
acquire  a  taste  for  reading  as  well  as  much  valuable  informa- 
tion." Another  teacher  expresses  the  opinion  that  if  care  is 
exercised  in  the  selection  a  great  variety  of  instructive  and 
entertaining  books  may  be  collected,  such  as  are  calculated 
to  facilitate   the  progress   of  more   advanced   students. 

Because  of  the  prevalence  of  the  female  seminary,  wom- 
an's interest  in  books  and  reading  attracted  the  attention 
of  eminent  educators  of  the  day.  The  principal  of  one  of 
these  schools  says  that  "the  library  contains  the  works  of 
such  authors  as  are  most  approved  in  female  education." 
An  article  in  an  educational  journal  dated  1827  deplores 
the  difficulties  which  beset  the  teachers  in  female  schools 
because  of  the  want  of  suitable  books  to  consult.  In  a 
journal  of  later  date  we  are  informed  that  free  government 
has  restored  to  woman  her  proper  rank  in  the  creation.  *Tt 
is  most  delightful  to  observe  her  moral  and  intellectual  ele- 
vation by  means  of  our  primary  school  and  female  seminary 
and  how  without  books  .  .  .  are  the  daughters  of  the 
state  to  obtain  that  knowledge  which  is  so  desirable  in  the 


SOME  OLD   SCHOOI,  IJ  I'.kA  kl  l.S  323 

character  of  a  female?"  Mentioning  the  fact  that  she  is  for- 
bidden from  appearing  in  business  enterprises  and  debarred 
from  all  that  stimulates  thought  and  action  in  young  men, 
the  writer  says:  "Without  access  to  books  she  is  doomed 
to  ignorance  and  incapacity,  which  in  time  will  lead  to 
mental  feebleness  and  imbecility."  Again  we  read  that  al- 
though domestic  duties  may  prevent  escape  from  cares  and 
affliction,  if  the  young  woman  has  acquired  a  taste  for  read- 
ing she  can  enter  at  least  into  the  pleasures  of  literary  pur- 
suits. 

It  is  interesting  to  learn  what  ideas  w^ere  held  at  that 
period  concerning  the  character  of  books  suitable  for  a 
school  library,  also  the  desirability  of  cultivating  the  reading 
habit  in  young  people,  and  the  effects,  beneficial  and  per- 
nicious, of  establishing  school  libraries.  The  cautious  and 
conservative  element  among  the  pedagogues  of  that  day 
doubted  that  any  good  could  result  from  such  a  step.  They 
questioned  the  honesty  of  booksellers  and  accused  them  of 
selling,  from  mercenary  motives,  material  that  was  calculated 
to  poison,  rather  than  edify,  the  youthful  mind.  They  feared 
that  books  of  a  partisan  or  sectarian  nature  might  by  chance 
creep  into  these  libraries,  and  if  perused  by  the  infantile 
population  might  excite  political  or  religious  controversies. 
The  public  of  that  day,  it  seems,  prided  itself  on  its  thirst 
for  knowledge.  In  its  own  estimation  it  belonged  to  "a 
reading  age."  Therefore  how  great  the  danger  in  propagating 
school  libraries  of  overstimulating  this  thirst  by  encouraging 
the  habit  of  too  much  reading  and  thereby  inducing  mental 
at  the  expense  of  physical  and  moral  development.  Mr. 
Alcott  "dreaded  to  have  school  libraries  the  hobby  of  the 
day;  it  would  eventually  do  much  evil.  If  we  open  the  door 
a  flood  of  evil  is  ready  to  rush  in.''  His  meaning  is  rather 
vague,  but  he  makes  some  dark  allusion  to  persons  who 
watch  for  opportunities  to  put  money  into  their  own  pockets, 
referring  probably  to  the  aforesaid  booksellers.  He  recom- 
mends as  especially  valuable  for  a  school  library  the  Bible, 
a  book  of  fables,  and  an  edition  of  "Pilgrim's  progress" 
which  has  been  rewritten  for  children  minus  the  illustrations, 
particularly  those  representing  the  devil,  asserting  that  "This 
pfersonage   never  yet   sat   for   his   portrait   and   a   good   book 


324  ,      ELIZABETH  G.  BALDWIN 

like  that  of  Bunyan  should  not  be  defaced  by  illustrations 
that  must  necessarily  be  injurious  in  tendency."  Another 
book  which  he  would  like  to  add  to  the  preceding  and  one 
which  he  thought  very  few  knew  about  was  "A  child's  book 
on  the  soul,"  by  Gallaudet.  He  considered  this  very  valu- 
able and  had  found  it  a  great  favorite  with  his  pupils.  His 
contemporaries  call  attention  to  "the  immoral  and  unhappy 
tendencies  of  badly  selected  libraries"  and  the  doubtful 
utility  of  school  libraries  under  any  circumstances.  Opposed 
to  this  conservative  element  were  a  few  who  advocated  a 
small  library  of  the  best  books  selected  perhaps  by  the  par- 
ents. The  important  feature  in  their  opinion  was  to  read 
fewer  books  and  to  read  them  more  thoroughly.  There 
were  others  who  were  still  more  radical  and  who  maintained 
that  school  libraries  necessarily  must  exert  a  good  influence 
upon  the  younger  generation,  that  books  could  make  up  for 
deficient  schools,  that  children  could  get,  in  a  measure,  an 
education  by  reading  when  the  schools  failed  to  give  it. 

Horace  Mann  recommended  "the  introduction  of  well 
selected  school  libraries  as  a  means  of  elevating  the  public 
sentiment,  alluring  both  the  young  and  the  old  to  the  more 
substantial  pleasures  of  the  mind  and  to  efforts  of  self-im- 
provement." 

The  following  plea  is  both  forcible  and  picturesque,  and 
although  put  forth  over  sixty  years  ago,  its  application 
would  serve  just  as  righteous  a  cause  to-day:  "Bell,  book 
and  candle  used  to  be  the  appointed  means  for  putting  the 
devil  to  an  ignominious  flight,  and  the  last  two  will  be  found 
sufficient  for  the  purpose,  even  now,  if  they  be  used  aright." 


INDEX 


Adams,  C.  F.,  Jr.,  ii;  biog.  sketch,  23;  address  given  in  full, 
23;  article  on  "School  Superintendency,"  excerpt  from, 
16. 

Age-limit  for  children,  no,   135. 

Aguilar  library,  X.  Y.,   119. 

A.  L.  A.  cooperation  com.,  18;  foundation  of,  78;  report  on 
work  with  schools,  14. 

Alameda,  Cal.,  lectures,  122. 

Anderson.  E.  H.,  address,  19. 

Andrews,  Sam'l,  on  Pittsburgh  school  catalog,  20. 

Austin,  Isabella,  biog.  sketch,  221;  paper  given  in  full,  221. 

Baldwin,  Elizabeth.  G.,  biog.  sketch,  315;  paper  given  in  full, 

315.  . 
Barry.  Sir  Redmond,  quoted,  no. 
Blanks  for  school  deposits,  92. 
Book-Miracle,   the,  69. 

Books,  library  of  best,  S3',  read  in  normal  course,  279. 
Books    recommended:    by    C.    F.    Adams,    Jr..    31;    by   W.    E. 

Foster,  3/;  by  S.   S.   Green,   58;  by  G.   W.    Peckham,  90; 

by  W.  R.  Eastman,  98;   by   L.  A.    Eastman,    133;  by  Dr. 

C.   A.  McMurry,   140;  by  F.  M.   Crunden,   171;   by   M.   D. 

Mc Curdy,  306. 
Boston,  statistics,  112. 
Boxes  for  school  deposits,  91,  245. 
Branch    libraries,     commended.    60;     in     schools,    246;     near 

schools.  226;   school  work  in,  215. 
Brett,  W.  H.,  biog.  sketch,  85;  paper  given  in  full,  Ss:  paper 

summarized,  17. 
Brooklyn  public  library,  202. 
Brooklyn  (E.  D.)  library,  102. 
Brown  University,  library  privileges,  46. 
Buck.  P.  M.,   176. 
Bufifalo.    N".    Y.,    cooperation    in.     183;    report    on    children's 

books.  114;  school  work  in,  20. 
Bulletins  in  schools,  215,  224. 


326  INDEX 

Canfield,  Dr.  James  H.,  220. 

Carlyle,  T.  W.,  quoted,  70. 

Carnegie,  Andrew,  quoted,  135. 

Cases  for  children's  corners,  163. 

Catalogs  of  old  schools,  321;  for  children,  114;  needed  for 
schools,  56. 

Chamberlain,  ]\Iellen,  quoted,  59. 

Child,  the  School  and  the  Library:  address  by  Linda  A.  East- 
man, 125. 

Children's  rooms,   119,   162. 

Chubb,   Percival,  biog.  sketch,  249;  paper  given  in  full,  249. 

City  History  Club,  N.  Y.,  211. 

Class-room  libraries,  115,  215,  226,  265;  in  N.  Y.,  194, 

Class  use  of  books,  261. 

Clatworthy,  Linda  M.,  biog.  sketch,  281 ;  paper  given  in  full, 
281. 

Cleveland,  O.,  normal  school,  ■2^'/,  278;  public  library,  85. 

Club  rooms  in  libraries,  262. 

Columbia  Library  School,  78. 

Columbia  School,  St.  Louis,  175. 

Complaints  from  teachers,  222. 

Composition,   English,  39. 

Co-operation,  why  necessary,  33. 

Cowell,  Mr.,  of  Liverpool,  quoted,   118. 

Crunden,  F.  M.,  biog,  sketch,  167;  address  given  in  full,  167; 
quoted,  iii. 

Cutter,  C.  A.,  quoted,  23. 

Dana,  J.  C,  biog.  sketch,  153;  report  given  in  full,  153; 
quoted,   iii. 

Dayton,  O.,  normal  school,  library  course,  281;  public  li- 
brary, 281. 

Decimal  classification,  63. 

Detroit,  report  of  school  superintendent,  quoted,   118. 

Dewey,  Melvil,  address  given  in  full,  63;  biog.  sketch,  (i2>- 

District  school  libraries,  N.  Y.,  99. 

Dix,  Gen.  John  A.,  quoted,  99. 

Dover,  N.  H.,  open  counter,  120. 

Drama,  value  of,  254. 

Draper,  A.  S.,   103. 

Eastman,   Linda  A.,   address   given   in   full,   125;   biog.   sketch, 

125. 
Eastman,  W.  R.,  address  given  in  full.  95;  biog.  sketch,  95. 
Education,  purpose  of,  178. 
Elgin,  111.,  236. 

Eliot,  Chas.  W.,  quoted,   177. 
Elmendorf,  H.  L.,  biog.  sketch,  183;  paper  given  in  full,  183. 


INDEX  327 

Elmcndorf.  Theresa  (Mrs.  H.  L.),  91. 
Emerson,  R.  W.,  quoted,  70,  270. 

Experiment  in   School   Library  Work:  paper  hv   E.  \V.   Gail- 
lard,  213. 

Fehnley,  David,  biog.  sketch,  289;  paper  given  in  full,  289. 
Ford,  Mathilde  C,  biog.  sketch,  191;  report  given  in  full,  191. 
Foster,   W.  E.,  biog.  sketch.  S3;  paper  given  in  full,  33. 
"Free  Hour''  in  Worcester  high  school,  40. 
Function  of  the  School  in  Introducing  Children  to  the  Proper 
Use  of  Books:  report  by  Dr.  Chas.  A.  McMurry,  139. 

Gaillard.  E.  W'.,  biog.  sketch,  213;  paper  given  in  full,  213. 
Games  in  library  advocated,   122. 
Games,  value  of,  254. 
Gannett,  Dr.,  quoted,  177. 
Geography,  teaching  by  reading,  126. 

Gloversville,  N.  Y.,  reading-circles,  119;  school  work,  104. 
Grand  Rapids,  Mich.,  cooperation  in,  245. 
Greeley,  Colorado,  librarian  quoted,   iii. 

Green,  S.  S.,  biog.  sketch,  45;  paper  given  in  full,  45;  quoted, 
13. 

Harris,  W.  T.,   quoted,  181. 

Harrison,  Frederick,  quoted,  112. 

Harron,  Julia  S.,  letter  to,  230. 

Harvard  University,  access  to  books,  46. 

Hasse,  A.   R.,   quoted,   iii. 

Hewins,  Caroline,  quoted,  112. 

Historical   sketch,    11. 

Holmes,  O.  W.,  quoted,  134. 

Home  reading,  264. 

How  far  Should   Courses   in   Xormal   Schools   and  Teachers* 

Colleges   Seek  to   Acquaint  all  Teachers  with  the   Ways 

of    Organizing   and    Using   School    Libraries?:    paper    by 

David  Felmley,  289. 
How   the   Teacher  Can    Help  the   Librarian:  paper  by    Mira 

Jacobus.  235. 
How  to  Alake  the  Library  of  Greater  Service  to  the  Student 

of  School  Age:  paper  by  S.  H.  Ranck,  243. 
How  to  Make  the  Library  More  Serviceable  to  Students  of 

School    Age:    from    the     Library    Worker's    Viewpoint: 

paper  by  Efifie  L.  Power,  259. 
Howard,  Chas.  L.,  175. 
Hutchins,  Frank  A.,  catalog  by,  115. 


Instruction  in  the  L'se  of  Books  in  a  Xormal  School:  article 
by  Irene  Warren,  269. 


328  .  INDEX 

Jacobus,  Mira,  biog.  sketch,  235;  paper  given  in  full,  235. 
James,  Hannah  P.,  quoted,  121;  report  by,  summarized,  14. 
Jersey   City,   statistics,  112. 
Johnston,  W.  D.,  biog.  sketch,  307;  paper  given  in  full,  307. 


Kauffman,  P.  W.,  biog.  sketch,  229;  report  given  in  full,  229. 
Kelso,  Tessa  L,,  quoted,  122. 
Keyes,   E.   W.,   quoted,   102. 


Lanigan,  Edith,  180. 

Leland,  C.  G.,  194. 

Librarian,  her  equipment,  156;  necessity  of,  in  school,  97. 

Librarian's  Spirit  and  Methods  in  Working  with  the  Schools: 
report  by  J.  C.  Dana,  153. 

Libraries  as  Related  to  the  Educational  Work  of  the  State: 
address  by  Dr.  Melvil  Dewey,  63. 

Libraries  for  storage  and  recreation,  y^. 

Library  and  school  compared,  33;  as  a  Reinforcement  of  the 
School:  paper  by  W.  D.  Johnston,  307;  buildings,  162; 
Course  Given  to  City  Normal  School  Students:  paper  by 
Linda  M.  Clatworthy,  281;  gifts,  76;  laws,  100;  modem, 
64;  of  best  books,  Foster's,  33;  school  at  Columbia  Univ., 
78;  the  model,  74;  the  scholar's,  75;  Visits  to  Public 
Schools;  paper  by  Annie  Carroll  Moore,  201. 

Library  Bureau,  foundation,  78. 

Library  Journal,  foundation,  78. 

Library  Notes,  foundation,  78. 

Lists  for  children,  131;  for  teachers,  262;  of  children's  books, 

Lockport  public  library,  103. 


McCurdy,  Mary  D.,  biog.  sketch,  299;  paper  given  in  full,  299. 
McMurry,   Chas.  A.,  biog.   sketch,    139;  report  given  in  full, 

139- 
Mann,  Horace,  quoted,  324. 
Marcy,   Gov.,  quoted,   100. 
Metcalf,  R.  C.,  of  Boston,  85;  quoted,  12. 
Methods  to  be  Used  by  Libraries  Working  with  Schools  to 

Encourage   the  Use   of  Real  Literature:  paper  by  Mary 

D,  McCurdy,  299. 
Miln,   Louise  Jordan,   quoted,  181. 
Milwaukee  public  library,  work  with  schools,  90;  cooperation 

with  normal  school,  122;  report  on  children's  books,  114; 

statistics,  92,  112,  117. 
Minneapolis,   statistics,   112. 
Moore,  Annie  Carroll,  biog.  sketch,  201;  paper  given  in  full, 

201. 


INDEX  329 

Morgan,  Thos.  J.,  paper  by,  16. 
Museum,  relation  to  library,  136. 

N.  E.  A.  committee  on  cooperation,  18;  library  department, 
17. 

Newburg,   X.  Y.,  free  library,   102. 

New  York,  board  of  education,  194;  214;  public  library,  195, 
213,  237;  school  department  formed,  21;  library  leader- 
ship, 83;  school  library  question  in,  191. 

Niagara  public  library,  103. 

Norfolk  Co.,  Mass.,  schools  of,  59. 

Normal  school  librarj-  courses,  275,  281;  scope  of,  289;  in- 
struction in  use  of  books,  269. 

Oxford  University,  free  access  to  books,  46. 

Papers,  preparation  of,  293. 

Pawtuckct,  R.   I.,  report  on  children's  books,  114. 

Peckham,  G.  W.,  biog.  sketch,  89;  report  given  in  full,  89. 

People's  Palace,  London,  anecdote,  256. 

Perkins,  F.  B.,  quoted,  270. 

Perkins,   Miss    (Ilion,   N.   Y.),   quoted,   11 1,   123. 

Phillips,  Wendell,  quoted,  181. 

Pictures,  use  of,  118,   131,  225;  in  Milwaukee,  93. 

Pittsburgh,  Carnegie  library,  school  catalog,  19. 

Play,  value  of,  254. 

Pomona,  Cal.,  cooperation  in,  229,  235. 

Poole,  W.  F.,  quoted,  113. 

Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.,  library,  102. 

Power,  Effie  L.,  biog.  sketch,  259;  paper  given  in  full,  259. 

Pratt  Institute  library,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  202. 

Prentice,  May  H.,  biog.  sketch,  275;  article  given  in  full,  275. 

Prentiss,  Mabel  E.,  229. 

Providence,   R.  I.,  weekly  "reading  hour"  in   a   school,   59. 

Public  Library  and  Public  Schools:  address  by  C.  F.  Adams, 
Jr.,  23;  report  by  Dr.  G.  W.  Peckham,  89:  and  the  Public 
School:  address  by  W.  R.  Eastman,  95;  books  in  Public 
Schools:  paper  by  H.  L.  Elmendorf,  183. 

Public  Schools  and  Public  Libraries:  report  by  P.  W.  Kauf- 
man, 229. 

Quincy,  :^Iass.,  cooperation  in,  12,  16. 

Ranck,  S.  H.,  biog.  sketch.  243;  paper  given  in  full,  243- 
Rathbone,  Josephine  A.,  sketch  by,  given  in  full,  11. 
Reading,    collateral,    309;   for    the   Young:    report    by    L.    E. 

Stearns,    109;    habit   of,   I55;    of  High    School    Boys   and 

Girls:  paper  by  Percival  Chubb,  249. 


330  -  INDEX 

Reference  work,  2)7,  165,  246,  261,  282;  at  branches,  60. 
Relation    of   the    Public   Library   to   the   Public    Schools:  ad- 
dress by  S.  S.  Green,  45, 
Restriction  of  number  of  children's  books,  113. 
Rochester  central  library,  102. 
Rochester  University,  access  to  books,  46. 
Russell,   Prof.,   of  Worcester,   quoted,  48. 

St.  Louis  high  school,  176;  public  library,  167;  statistics,  112. 

San  Francisco,  statistics,  112. 

Sanders,  Mrs.   (Pawtucket,  R.   L),  quoted,  in. 

School  and  library  compared.  2>y,  and  the  Library — the  Value 
of  Literature  in  Early  Education:  address  by  F.  M.  Crun- 
den.  167;  and  the  Library:  their  Mutual  Relation:  paper 
by  W.  E.  Foster,  2>Z\  extension,  312;  Library  Question  in 
New  York  City:  report  by  Mathilde  C.  Ford,  191;  libraries 
old,  315;  limitations  of,  y2. 

Scudder,  Horace  E.,  quoted,  no. 

Some  Old  Forgotten  School  Libraries:  paper  by  Elizabeth 
G.  Baldwin,  315. 

State,  duties  of,  to  libraries,  80. 

Statistics:  Boston,  112;  Jersey  City,  112;  INIilwaukee,  92,  112, 
117;  Minneapolis,  112;  St.  Louis,  112;  San  Francisco,  112. 

Stearns,  Lutie  E.,  90;  biog.  sketch,  109;  report  by,  sum- 
marized,  15;  given  in  full,  109. 

Stevens   Point  normal  school,  Wis.,  270. 

Story  hours,  22^,  247,  263. 

Sully,  James,  quoted,  168. 

Supervisors  of  children's  reading,   120. 

Supplementary  reading,  117,   172. 

Syracuse  central  library,  102;  public  library,  103. 

Teachers'  cards,  115,  224;  disapproved,   159. 
Teachers'  corner  in  libraries,  224. 
Thurber,  Samuel,  of  Worcester,  quoted,  50,  51. 
Trollopc,  Anthony,  quoted,  179. 

Union  for  Christian  work,  Brooklyn,  202. 

University  extension,  81. 

Use  of   the   Public   Library  in  the   Cleveland   Schools:   paper 

by  W.   H.  Brett,  85. 
Utica  public  library,   103. 

Vacation  reading,  310. 
Visits  of  classes  to  library,  119. 
Visits  of  librarians  to  schools,  160,  201. 

Vitalizing  the  Relation  between  the  Library  and  the  School: 
article  by  May  H.  Prentice,  275. 


INDEX 


33  > 


Warren.  Irene,  biog.  sketch,  269;  article  given  in  full.  J69. 

Waterloo.   Stanley.   178. 

Webster  free  librar}-,  school  work  at,  21. 

Wells  grammar  school,  use  of  library,  58. 

West,  Theresa  (now  Mrs.  Elmendorf ),  91, 

What  the  School  Needs  from  the  Library:  paper  by  Isabella 
Austin.  221. 

Windows  for  children,  119. 

Wisconsin  normal  school,  270. 

Worcester,  Mass.,  cooperation  in,  13.  51:  educational  institu- 
tions, 47;  high  school,  40.  49;  public  library,  45;  state 
normal  and  public  librar}-,  49. 

Wrigley,  Mrs.    (Richmond,   Ind.),  quoted,   in. 

Yonkers,  N.  Y.,  public  library,  103. 


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